Magenta
by Kolsake
Summary: Due to unforeseen circumstances Kurenai will not be able to be the Jonin sensei of Team 8, as a result the Hokage must choose someone else. Shino, Hinata and Kiba find themselves with a sensei that's lazy, irresponsible,perverted,a good cook and an even better dancer. At least he's Kage level...wait what? NaruHina ShinoX? KibaX? Action, Romance, Comedy. PowerfulHinata godlikeNaruto
1. Kurenai's what?

**Hello everyone!**

 **This is Kolsake with the first chapter of 'Magenta', another idea that came to me that I wanted to out on paper…well electronic paper I guess.**

 **Please Review and tell me what you think or PM me. All forms of constructive criticism are accepted.**

* * *

All Asuma wanted was to get a few extra hours of sleep.

He had been on a mission in Moon Country playing bodyguard for the Fire Daimyo's favorite nephew. He was celebrating his 25th birthday and boy was he doing it in style. His travelling entourage was literally some 30 or so male friends, clusters of scantily clad women, some butlers and a lot of samurai. He was merely there to be the leader of the security detail.

It had been four long weeks of protecting the alcohol-fueled group from all forms of danger as they partied their way around the tourist-friendly island. And as beautiful as the place was he didn't get a chance to enjoy it or get a gift for his girlfriend.

Those kids had partied everywhere… _everywhere_.

Making matters even worse, Moon Country didn't import his preferred brand of cigarettes, which meant he had to settle for some weak flavored bullshit made for lightweight tourists.

He would have chosen border patrol duty over this crap any day.

Asuma would however have no complaints when the Hokage gave him some well-deserved vacation time along with his pay stub. His father had more than likely done his fair share of these _special_ escort missions in his own time and was just being an understanding Hokage and father.

He was even so tired that he had decided against making a pit stop by his girl's place, she would understand of course. She was a Jonin herself and she knew how annoying and tiresome, rich, famous politically affiliated clients could be.

They would probably meet up for lunch and spend some time together before doing some light sparring and maybe if he was lucky, they would end up doing a _different_ type of sparring.

But even those plans would be interrupted by the unexpected.

Asuma found his post-mission sleep cycle being disturbed by two of his father's most loyal Anbu; Rat and Parrot.

Asuma frowned as he turned his head away from them, maybe they would go away if he ignored them?

Those sneaky little buggers must have disarmed the traps behind his door. Didn't that count as breaking and entering? Couldn't he have them arrested? Well since they probably came in the name of the Hokage, he heavily doubted it.

They were still standing there…he turned to look at them and gave them the nastiest scowl he could muster on an empty stomach.

The Anbu that wore the Rat mask spoke up.

"Apologies for the disturbance Asuma-san but the Hokage would like to speak with you."

Asuma groaned.

"Tell him that I'll be there in an hour-"

Parrot cut in.

"Hokage-sama believes that this is an urgent matter and suggests that you should treat it the same way."

That had gotten Asuma's attention.

An urgent matter?

A sigh escaped his lips as he threw off his warm covers.

"I'll be ready in 3 minutes."

* * *

Asuma took another bite of his ration bar as he walked up the staircase to the Hokage's office, several of his questions remaining unanswered.

The Anbu who had so politely escorted him here had remained silent as they made their trek to the tower. There didn't seem to be any sense of panic or urgency among any of the office workers or Anbu stationed within and around the office perimeters. He didn't even see any council members preparing for any emergency meeting…

What kind of urgent matter was this?

He nodded to the secretary as he and entered his father's office and closed the large wooden door behind him.

"Ok old man, what was so important that you had to-"

To Asuma's surprise, the Hokage was not alone, seated in one of the chairs normally reserved for clients or important officials was his girlfriend, Kurenai Yuuhi, Konoha's resident Genjutsu master.

An awkward silence filled the room for a few seconds before the Hokage cleared his throat and spoke.

"You may have a seat, Asuma."

Asuma nodded dumbly as he took the seat adjacent to Kurenai's, both Jonin took the opportunity to spare a glance at each other. He noticed the pink hue that favored Kurenai's cheeks as she her eyes met his.

"Is there any special reason you've been interrogating my girlfriend, old man?"

The Hokage gave Asuma a fatherly smile as Kurenai glared at Asuma still having rosy cheeks.

"Me? Interrogate? I was merely catching up with Kurenai-chan while you were on your way here."

Asuma narrowed his eyes. By ''catching up'' he meant he was probably grilling her for information concerning their relationship like any annoying parent would do.

Asuma reached into his top pocket for a cigarette, he had feeling this was going to be a long day and nothing would help him through it better like a good smoke…that was until he felt the gaze of a certain brunette locked on to him.

Kurenai hated the smell of cigarette smoke; it was the main reason he had invested into those special chewing gums that that removed the scent.

He sighed as he dropped the nicotine stick back into his pocket.

The Hokage seemed to find the sight quite amusing.

"Now that the both of you are here we can discuss the matter at hand."

Both Jonin gave attention to their leader.

"As you both know, in the next three weeks the Academy will be having its annual graduation and a new batch of potential Genin will be tested. The both of you were chosen to be prospective teachers for the squads 8 and 10, given that they can pass the final test."

Asuma didn't have to look at Kurenai to know she was smiling; it was one of her dreams to be a Jonin sensei that would foster the growth of the next generation of great shinobi. He wasn't as fond of the idea of working with snot nosed brats as she was, but he still understood the importance of this task and would serve without question.

The Hokage continued.

"And even though I know you are both looking forward to taking up this task… However due to circumstances beyond my control I will have to ask Yuuhi-san to vacate the position of Team Eight's Jonin sensei."

Kurenai's eyes widened in shock, but before she could object Asuma was already talking.

"You can't be serious! She's one of the few persons that have ever shown interest in teaching a Genin team, you normally have to persuade or force the rest of us and you're asking her to step down? Why?!"

Despite the evident anger in his son's voice, the Hokage remained calm and even seemed relaxed. He had faced some of the most notorious persons to ever come upon the earth in both battle and debate. He could handle his own son.

"Please calm yourself Jonin, I wouldn't advise you to raise your voice at your Hokage again. My Anbu tend to have itchy fingers."

The fact that his father had kept his warm fatherly smile while threatening his own son was enough to calm Asuma down immediately.

"As I was saying before Yuuhi san will be replaced by someone of my choosing. The reason being that the results of her medical exam suggest that she would be unfit to serve as Team Eight's Jonin sensei for the long term."

Asuma frowned. All prospective sensei were expected to do a thorough medical checkup before they would be given the approval to lead Genin teams, he would be doing his exam this week after he had gotten enough rest.

But if Kurenai failed her medical…did she have some kind of serious illness?

As Asuma's face became rigid in thought it was Kurenai's turn to protest.

"I assure you Hokage-sama, this is certainly a mistake. I am in perfect health. I sincerely believe I should be examined again. "

The Hokage solemnly nodded as he took up a folder and casually threw it into Kurenai's hands.

"See for yourself, I've had them check the results thrice. There is barely any doubt. "

Asuma left his seat and stood behind Kurenai placing his hands on her shoulders. He didn't know what that report would say, but whatever it was he wanted stand by her just as he was doing now.

Kurenai gave him a small smile before slowly opening the manila folder.

Both Jonin read each section of the report with great scrutiny, every noun, verb, adjective, nothing escaped their attention.

Asuma's eyes soon narrowed, everything seemed alright to him…what exactly was he missing?

"Oh Kami…"

Asuma looked down at Kurenai.

"Nai-chan?"

Kurenai responded to her nickname by pointing at a small box in the corner of the report. Asuma had to lean in closer to make out the small scribbles made by the physician on duty.

" _Patient #KY78 has tested positive for human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)"_

Asuma blinked.

"What the hell is human chorionic gonadotropin?"

Kurenai laced her fingers with Asuma's.

"It means that I'm…I'm…pregnant."

Asuma's jaw fell to the floor.

"Y-y-y-you're what?"

The Hokage smiled.

"Congratulations to the both of you! I will have the pleasure of seeing another grandchild and my son will experience the beauty of being a father. You two have made this old man's day much brighter. Konohamaru will be very happy to hear as well. "

Asuma looked up at his father.

He…he was going to be a father?

He looked back at Kurenai.

Then back at his father.

Then at the medical report.

Then at Kurenai.

Then at his father.

Then at Kurenai's _midsection._

 _Then_ …he fainted.

* * *

 **A few hours later**

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood silently on the highest balcony of the Hokage tower. He was always amazed at how beautiful the village looked when it was cloaked in the orange hue of the sunset.

But the true beauty of the village would be found in its citizens. The civilian populace was filled with hard workers, always seeking new innovative ways to conduct their business as they played their part in keeping Konoha on top.

He watched with pride as his loyal shinobi skipped from rooftop to rooftop, doing all in their power to serve, support and protect their village.

His village.

He smiled as he watched several children playing a game of Ninja tag in their backyard. The future seemed bright; he hoped he would do all in his power to ensure it.

He cleared his throat as he pulled his pipe out of his Hokage robes; he would be smoking much less considering that Kurenai hated cigarettes and was also with child. He'd have to buy new air fresheners for the office…

All of those plans would have to wait he had more important issues to resolve.

"You took your own sweet time getting here."

An individual wearing a bright red hoodie landed silently in a kneeling position before the Hokage.

"There was a ramen festival being kept in the Capital, I really couldn't leave without sampling Suna's newest line of extra spicy ramen. I hope you understand."

Hiruzen shook his head, what kind of shinobi picked ramen over a direct order from his Hokage….

…wait…..

"Didn't I send Jiraiya to find you?"

The still kneeling individual nodded.

"There's supposed to be some kind of 25 woman wet t-shirt contest later in the night to celebrate the end of the royal nephew's birthday celebrations…Jiraiya hopes you will understand. He promises to be here tomorrow."

Hiruzen face-palmed before speaking.

"You may rise. I swear you idiots are going to be the end of me."

The hooded individual stood to his feet brushing the dirt off his brown Jonin style pants.

"How can I be of assistance Hokage-sama?"

Hiruzen exhaled a long stream of smoke before speaking.

"Kurenai Yuuhi, a freshly promoted Jonin is 6 weeks pregnant."

"So you want me to kill her?"

Hiruzen whipped around to stare at the hooded individual, his heated glare burning holes into the blank porcelain mask that hid the individual's facial features from any prying eyes.

"Asuma is the father."

"So….you want me to kill him?"

Hiruzen's gaze grew even darker.

"She was supposed to be the prospective Jonin for this year's 'Team Eight' from the Academy."

"So….you want me to kill her team? Three fresh out of the academy targets? That's the type of thing I would expect from that bastard Danzo."

Hiruzen merely rolled his eyes.

"I don't want you to kill anybody."

The masked shinobi shrugged.

"Well I am an assassin. It's what I do. Well I'm also a pretty good dancer but I don't think that's what you pay me for-"

Hiruzen interrupted his guest's train of thought.

"I want you to take Kurenai's place as Team Eight's leader."

A very thick silence followed the Hokage's sentence; it ended when the hooded individual allowed a few dark chuckles to escape his lips.

"Me? Leading a team of 13 year olds that have no idea how harsh the shinobi world really is? Not a chance. I will respectfully refuse your offer Hokage-sama."

"It took me months to convince the Aburame and Inuzuka clans to trust a freshly promoted Jonin to guide their children and prospective clan heirs. If it is not a shinobi of your caliber they won't accept anyone else. Kakashi, Gai and Asuma already have teams."

"I could check through the Jonin registry to help you find a more suitable replacement."

Hiruzen sighed as he took another puff from his pipe.

"Hinata Hyuuga was almost this year's dead last. Kurenai had requested that she be placed on Team Eight, she had hoped to spark a difference in the girl's life. More importantly the Hyuuga Clan elders have decided that if she were to fail as a Genin they would brand her with the Caged Bird seal and choose her younger sister as her successor. She bears a very heavy burden…Kurenai will be there to help …but she also needs a sensei who understands how strong she will need to be…"

Another moment of silence followed.

"That kid never gets a lucky break, does she?"

Hiruzen frowned as he considered all that Hinata had already gone through.

"It would seem as if her life is a continuous uphill battle."

"I have some business to wrap up in Iwa…I'll be back in time to accept my new mission."

Hiruzen smiled.

"Very well…will you be keeping your alias?"

The mysterious individual bowed in respect as he prepared to leave.

"Of course. I think it would look more impressive on her record if it says she was personally taught by the _Bloody Shadow_ don't you think?"

Hiruzen nodded, knowing that the mysterious figure in red was already gone.

Team Eight and more precisely Hyuuga Hinata would be getting another lifeline.

* * *

 **There you have it! The first chapter of 'Magenta'. Tell me what you think. Review or PM.**

 **Kolsake Out!**


	2. Team Eight or Team Ecchi?

**Hello Everyone!**

 **This is Chapter #2 of Magenta! I've been loving the reviews and PMs so far, Keep it up!**

 **Sprry for taking so long but Work/School/Life. You know what I mean.**

 **Let's get this show on the road.**

 **I do not own Naruto or any other anime concepts that might appear.**

* * *

Despite the popular opinion of his classmates, it really didn't take a genius or a member of the Nara clan to identify and understand the Academy's procedures concerning the Genin team assignments.

There were no deep scientific theories.

There were no mathematical formulas.

Nothing too difficult, bothersome or as one of his friends would say…'troublesome'.

But it was certainly not done by random either.

It was just a simple system that had been incorporated year in, year out.

In fact it was so simple that you would miss it if you weren't observant…or if you didn't have the time to check the older team assignment sheets that had been left unattended in the bottom draw of Iruka-sensei's desk.

We'll just chalk that up to being perceptive.

Students with strong shinobi backgrounds especially those from prominent clans were often grouped together in an effort to maximize potential, skill set and comradery. These children were expected to be the future of the ninja world; working together would of course create a bond of association at least.

Another factor that was heavily considered during this process was how well their skills complemented each other. For example, any student worth his spot in the graduating class had heard of the infamous Ino-Shika-Cho combination and some of their greatest exploits. It was easy to conclude that their children, the trio of Ino, Shikammaru and Choji had been seen as a team long before their names were even read off Iruka-sensei's clipboard.

Had it been the same for his team?

Perhaps.

But there were also the regular teams to take into account. These comprised of those with no shinobi background that were still good enough to graduate but in the eyes of the lecturers held no serious potential.

Of course those that had special talents or performed well enough at the Academy level could be placed on one of the stronger teams in an effort to inspire their growth.

That would explain why Sakura Haruno had made it onto Team Seven along with 'Rookie of the year', Sasuke Uchiha. She did have the best grades in the class and her book smarts would count for something in the field but without better practical skills she would either not advance beyond Genin, get seriously injured, crippled or end up dead.

Speaking of dead, the 'Dead Last' was another important element to consider. The student that had the worst scores in the theory and practical exams throughout their school tenure was often placed with the best students in the name of achieving a balance among the teams and in the hopes of giving the 'Dead Last' a chance to correct his weaknesses as he learned alongside the best in closer proximity.

Unfortunately there would also be a chance that the depression of being continuously outclassed by his squad mates would leave the 'Dead Last' with the option of dropping out of the shinobi system allowing a more talented shinobi to take his spot. Some would suggest that it was a method of weeding out the weak and untalented…but there was no evidence to support that.

This year's 'Dead Last' had been a late entry who had literally scraped through the final exams; he was of course placed with Sasuke and Sakura.

There was certainly something off about him though…his bugs could detect a high concentration of chakra in the bottle strapped to his waist.

As for his own team placement, it was no surprise when he had been grouped with Kiba Inuzuka, the son and second child of clan head, Tsume Inuzuka. There was a strong bond between the Inuzuka and Aburame clans, both professionally and socially.

Taking into consideration that his team was more than likely going to specialize in tracking, sabotage and espionage, Kiba would fit in quite well.

He had no doubts to who the last member of their team would be, logic dictated that she would was practically the one person that could really balance this team.

Hinata Hyuuga.

She was also a prospective clan head, and holder of the legendary doujutsu, the Byakugan. The Hyuuga were seen as one of Konoha's strongest clans due to their widespread influence among the shinobi disciplines. They were the elite. Furthermore they also had strong political ties in the nation's Capital even with the Fire Daimyo and his advisors.

There is even speculation among the higher ranks of nobility that the current Hyuuga clan head, Hiashi-sama would be one of the few considered for the position of Godaime Hokage upon the Sandaime's retirement or passing.

Hinata had almost everything going for her; she was heir to a strong, rich and well-connected clan with a prospective Hokage candidate currently at its helm. However despite all of these positive factors, Hinata's academic records did not reflect the prestige of her clan. There were even times when she might have been considered the 'Dead Last' even though none would be brave enough to voice their opinions on the matter.

Shino knew well enough that Hinata's grades were not a reflection of her strength or potential but were rather a byproduct of years of verbal abuse from a few teachers and family member alike. In recent years the Hyuuga were considered the best Konoha had to offer and so every member especially those who were blood relatives of the leadership were expected to be prodigies in their own right.

Hinata…was different.

She was the opposite of what the Hyuuga clan portrayed themselves to be.

She was soft, shy, nervous, hesitant and sometimes very emotional.

Things that would ordinarily be overlooked as just as a part of her being a developing teenage girl.

If only she had been born anywhere else or rather in any other clan.

But she was a child of the Hyuuga…and they saw things differently.

The stoic, ever confident, firm persona that was worn by the Hyuuga never developed within Hinata and instead of positively encouraging her to grow stronger and to embrace who she was, some of her fellow clan members often berated her in the hope that the pressure would transform her into the leader that the Hyuuga and Konoha would need…some did it in spite.

This had only made the situation worse and pushed the lavender haired girl further and further down into her shell.

Hopefully leaving the academy and coming under the tutelage of a Jonin sensei would be patient enough to help her break free of this lingering self-doubt. For not only the sake of herself and the Hyuuga clan but also their village.

"Guys…I think we're being watched."

The declaration from Kiba was enough to derail Shino's train of thought; a quick scan of the room gave him the impression that they were still very much alone.

There weren't many places that one could stay hidden in a well-lit restaurant, were there?

Shino would still give him his undivided attention.

"Are you sure? Can you smell someone?"

Kiba frowned as he sniffed the air a few more time before shrugging.

"It was really just a gut feeling I had…and I can't smell anything else but that waitress' really cheap perfume. She really needs to cut back on the stuff."

Shino nodded in understanding as he adjusted his shades. From the very second they had stepped through the restaurant's doors their nostrils had been flooded with the overpowering scent of the waitress' perfume. It would certainly be murder for Kiba's delicate senses.

Hinata spoke up.

"M-m-m-maybe it's our sensei? He was the one that left instructions with Iruka-sensei for us to meet him here."

Kiba leaned back in his chair as he half spoke half muttered.

"Why would he wanna do that?"

Hinata bit her lip nervously as she found herself being the focus of everyone's attention.

"He could be testing some of our skills?"

Shino nodded as he added his own contribution. He would do his best to support his teammate and give her confidence a little boost.

"That is a very plausible theory. He could also be simply observing us to see what other information he can gather about our personalities."

Hinata seemed relieved that she had not been insulted for her theory as Kiba directed his attention at Shino.

"Is our sensei an Aburame? That sounds like the weird friendly stalker stuff you guys are known for."

Shino smiled behind the high collar of his grey coat as Hinata gently reprimanded Kiba for his verbal jab. He knew Kiba was only kidding; it was a joke that the brown haired Inuzuka used more than once in the brief conversations they would often share in class.

He only hoped Kiba would also see the comedic value in waking up with tiny little bite marks all over his face and arms.

The Aburame clan didn't believe in vengeance, they only believed in evening the scales.

The conversation was about to continue but it was cut short as the doors to the kitchen swung open to reveal the aforementioned blond waitress carrying three glasses of lemonade. She smiled brightly as she placed a glass in front of each of them.

"You kids must be thirsty, here's some lemonade to cool you down while you wait for your sensei."

Hinata smiled.

"Thank you very much; your kindness is very much appreciated."

Kiba grinned.

"A cold drink for a hot day! This should hit the spot. Errr…do you have any doggy bowls? Akamaru is feeling a little thirsty as well."

The blond waitress gave another bright smile as she gave Akamaru a few pats on the head.

"Of course we do, we serve members of the Inuzuka all the time, just give me a few seconds to bring some water for him."

Kiba nodded his head in appreciation as the waitress started to make her trek back to the kitchen…

Only to find her path blocked by a very irate wall of bugs. Shino re-adjusted his shades again before speaking.

"I don't know who you are but you came here unprepared. There are bugs within my clan that specialize in detecting abnormal chemical substances within food and drink. The moment you placed this glass in front of me they raised an alarm. I assume you were trying to poison us using this lemonade. My question is…what do you have to gain from it?"

A few seconds of heavy silence passed, Kiba and Akamaru were already flexing their claws preparing for a fight, Hinata's hand trembled as she nervously reached down into her kunai holster.

"Well color me impressed."

All three member of Team Eight spun around in surprise and for good reason, now seated at their table was a red cloaked individual shuffling cards with the speed of a master dealer.

Shino's eyes narrowed.

Despite the speed that the man was employing in shuffling the cards not a sound could be heard. The bug user regarded the fact with deep interest.

Kiba who had also noticed wasn't that impressed as a deep tribal growl rumbled from his chest as he bent on all fours.

"Who the hell are you?"

"You may call me Ass Kicker-kun or Panty King-kun or Super Sexy Ninja-kun… or Shedo-sama if you're the boring type."

A few more moments of silence passed before Kiba spoke.

"…are you insane?"

A small chuckle escaped through the man's mask.

"To be honest there's a strong possibility that I am, but I refuse to have my sanity questioned by people that I haven't even set on fire yet. That's just being unfair."

All three Genin blinked…He wanted them to accuse him of being mad _after_ he lit them on fire ?

Hinata's brow furrowed for a moment before a realization dawned in her eyes.

"Shedo…isn't that the name of the sensei we were supposed to meet ?"

Shino adjusted his shades as his bugs slowly made their way back into his coat allowing the waitress to return to the kitchen as Shedo turned his attention to Hinata.

"Well at least someone was paying attention to Iruka. Your assumption is correct. I am the teacher that the Hokage has provided for your learning and training pleasure. You may bow down whenever you wish."

Kiba scoffed relaxing only just a little bit.

"Even if that is true I'm not sure why I should be so impressed. What kind of Jonin sensei tries to poison his students?"

Shedo slowly placed the deck of cards on the table.

"I understand your concerns, but I assure you that the drug's only purpose is to render you unconscious it will take full effect in the next three hours or so, until then you won't feel a thing."

Shino raised an eyebrow.

"So you only intended to knock us out? That still doesn't sound very logical. You might as well explain yourself now since you've failed."

Another chuckle escaped Shedo's mask as leaned forward.

"The thing is my precious little minions, I didn't fail…I've already drugged you."

A thick blanket of tension wrapped itself around all three Genin as Kiba's angry snarl rang out.

"I call bullshit!"

"Really? I don't smell anything foul…well I've been hearing through the grapevine that desperate Aburame males normally rub dung beetles on their clothes to attract the opposite sex, but it hasn't been working and that smell isn't the easiest to wash out either. Three bags of the industrial strength soap should do the job."

Kiba's mouth fell open for a few seconds before he chose to just ignore the man. None of them noticed the slight twitch in Shino's right eye.

"We didn't fall for your little juice trick and we haven't eaten anything either. There's no way you could have gotten us."

Shino grunted as his mind worked over time to solve this riddle of a situation.

"Unless you've been transferring it through a medium that we can't avoid."

Shedo was about to comment when Hinata's soft voice stopped him.

"The perfume…we've been breathing it in all this time…that's how you've been drugging us."

Shedo nodded.

"Very good. It would seem as if at least two of you have brains."

Kiba scowled at the masked man, knowing that the insult was intended for him.

Shino was about to speak but Shedo already knew what was on his mind.

"I know what you're thinking and let me remind you that even the best bugs in the Aburame clan can be fooled. I've worked with many members of all three clans represented here. If I need to hide something from you, I know how to do it."

Kiba didn't miss Shino's sigh of defeat.

"Very well. What is the meaning of this…Shedo-sensei?"

They didn't need to see behind the mask to know that the man was smiling.

"That's more like it. Well as you can guess this is merely a test. Pass and you officially become Team Eight and students oof the most awesome ninja since the Yondaime, fail and spend another year at the Academy listening to Iruka's silly little lectures."

Shedo allowed the information to sink in before continuing.

"Your objective is quite simple…find the real me before the drug knocks you out. The Anbu on patrol will pick you up if you fail."

Shedo answered the question before Hinata could ask.

"The Shedo sitting here is just a shadow clone. Your doujutsu would confirm that."

Hinata nodded with a hint of embarrassment as she activated her Byakugan, her eyes rested on the man in front of her for a few seconds before she spoke.

"I've never seen a clone like this before…but I can say for sure that he's not the real deal."

Shedo continued.

"I'll make this a little easier for you though. The real me is somewhere in this sector of the village. I won't use any more deceptive tactics, change locations or hide if you spot me. Use whatever means necessary to accomplish your task."

All three potential Genin nodded as they headed for the only exit.

* * *

 **2 hours later**

Kiba groaned as he plopped down on one of the benches outside the local ice cream parlor.

"This is damn near impossible! Our time is almost up and we haven't covered one half of the sector yet. Even after splitting up we still don't have a clue of where to find that bastard. If I go back to the Acadmey, Mom and Hana are never going let me hear the end of it."

Shino placed a hand on his teammates' shoulder.

"Calm down Kiba, getting all worked won't help our situation, we need to work together to solve this."

Kiba frowned and was about to launch into another angry rant.

"You're also upsetting Hinata."

Kiba paused mid-thought as he turned his head to see his lavender haired teammate, her head bowed down low as she tucked her hands into her lap. She was probably worried as well. He knew he wasn't a walking talking plethora of information like Shino, Sakura or Shikamaru but he had heard his cousins talking before on what happened to Hyuuga that had been branded as failures by their clan…Hinata was a really sweet girl, he wouldn't want that to happen to her.

He mimicked Shino's action and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, she jumped in surprise at the physical contact but recovered quickly as she looked up at her teammates.

"No matter what that masked bastard says, we're already a team Hinata, we'll get through this."

Shino joined in.

"Yes. We are the future of three of Konoha's greatest clans, we cannot be easily dismissed especially when we are in unison."

The Hyuuga heiress quickly wiped away a stray tear as she nodded.

"Thank you."

Shino nodded as Kiba flashed a cheeky grin.

Akamaru climbed into Hinata's lap and allowed her to pet him.

"You know, you're one of the few persons that Akamaru actually allows to do that, he must really like your scent, he always knows when you're around as well, that's one of the few things that make us special, once we catch a scent we almost never forget it..."

A few more seconds of silence passed before the resident bug user spoke up.

"Kiba?"

"Yeah?"

"You're a genius."

"I am?"

Shino didn't answer the question as he asked Hinata one of his own.

"Hinata when you activated your Byakugan to check on sensei's clone did you notice anything that was strange?"

"Strange?"

"Yes anything that seemed out of place or didn't make sense."

Hinata pondered his question for a few seconds before answering.

"Now that you mention it…there were several tiny pockets of chakra in the air, it's more than I would usually see but it still didn't seem too off. Does that mean something?"

Shino stood up with a new energy as he spoke to his teammates and friends.

"Let's go. I know where sensei is?"

Kiba's eyes widened.

"What? How?"

"Let's go. I'll explain on the way."

* * *

The Genin of Team Eight re-entered the restaurant to find the clone of their sensei playing some kind of card game with the blond waitress. The clone didn't even turn to face them as he spoke.

"I'm not giving you guys any more hints or breaks…or have you come here to forfeit?"

"Neither sensei. We're here to pass this test and get an antidote."

The clone finally turned around.

"Then go find the real me and stop wasting my time, you punks!"

Shino smirked as he and his team walked up to the table.

"But we have found the real you, haven't we…Shedo-sensei?"

Shino was now staring into the eyes…

…of the blond waitress.

The blonde young woman blinked before speaking in a calm even tone.

"You do know that Shedo is a guy right? Are you just going around accusing everyone of being your psychotic sensei?"

Kiba smirked

"As psychotic as you are, you're also very skilled sensei, I hope to learn a lot from you. We all originally thought that you were only using the perfume to slowly drug us,but you were also hiding your scent from me and Akamaru, if we got a whiff of a male scent from a woman we would certainly get suspicious."

Hinata nodded.

"In a village filled with shinobi it isn't strange too see tiny pockets of chakra in the air at times. However the pockets that are in here are all from you. You're using them to keep us under whatever Genjutsu that has us seeing you in this female form and the technique that has been overpowering our sense of smell with the perfume."

The normally nervous girl continued as she activated her Byakugan.

"My Byakugan can see it sensei. Even now your body is releasing these tiny pockets of chakra into the air to keep your technique active, your chakra control must be exceptional to continuously do this."

Shino folded his hands.

"You said it yourself, you've worked with our clan mates before. You know our weaknesses and you know how to exploit them. You've been using your information and skill to trick us into seeing and smelling what wasn't completely true and if not for your subtle hints we would have never realized that you were here with us all along."

The blond waitress smiled before clapping a few times.

"Well that's all I needed to hear. Not bad for a few rookie Genin…wouldn't you say Yuuhi-san?"

There was a pause as the entire world seemed to disassemble and re-form right before the eyes of Team Eight's Genin…..

"I'm so proud of you! I knew you guys would pass!"

Kiba, Akamaru, Hinata and Shino blinked a few times in amazement as they now found themselves in an empty training ground, more than likely one of those that were provided for Genin teams.

Kiba scratched his head I confusion as the same masked individual from before and a very happy woman approached them.

"What…the hell was that?"

Shino seemed to have just finished talking to his bugs.

"It seems we've been under the influence of their Genjutsu for quite some time now. According to my bugs we've been under its influence ever since we stepped outside the Academy."

"What? You gotta be kidding! None of that was real?"

Hinata turned her gaze upon the two standing before them.

"Is that true Kurenai-san?"

Kiba narrowed his eyes.

"Wait! You know this lady?"

Hinata smiled.

"Yes she used to be one of my Chuunin escorts in my earlier years at the Academy."

Kurenai returned the smile.

"My name is Kurenai Yuuhi and I'm at the rank of Jonin now. I'll be the assistant sensei of Team Eight for the time being as Shedo-san will be your main sensei."

All three Genin turned their attention to the man as he stepped forward.

"Allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Shedo, it's a codename that has been given to me by the Sandaime Hokage. My real name must be kept private for reasons that are of concerns to the village. I am one of Konoha's elite and I swear to train you in the ways of the shinobi and make you into great warriors…

Kurenai nodded in satisfaction, she had no qualms leaving her teams in this man's hands. The Genin trio also nodded in appreciation.

"…and to convert you into disciples of my ecchi legacy. The holy bread is ramen and the holy script is the new Icha Icha, it will be available in stores for the small price of…"

Shedo suddenly found himself surrounded by a deep dark terrifying aura. An aura that emanated from a certain brunette Genjutsu user.

" **Shedo-san…"**

Since when did Kurenai have that much baritone in her voice, it was almost as if she was…possessed.

"Y-y-y-y-y-yes?"

" **There will be no ecchi legacy, not with my students. Especially not with a 13 year old girl."**

"Well I was kind of planning to wait till she was at least 16 to show her the real hardcore stuff…"

Hinata had the decency to blush, if they only knew about the stuff she had found in the attic during spring cleaning…

 **THUNK THUNK THUNK**

Three kunai buried themselves into Shedo's chest.

"Hmmm, I can see that you're not amused."

" **Indeed I am not."**

"You can't protect them forever, Yuuhi-san. They'll be killing people soon and you know the word on the street, old enough to kill old enough to-"

 **WHAM!**

All three Genin sweat-dropped as Kurenai delivered a massaive chop to the back of Shedo's head knocking him out cold. The dark aura that was surrounding her simply vanishing into thin air.

"Team Eight we have our first meeting tomorrow at 5 am. Don't be late or I'll be sending Shedo-san to come get you. You are dismissed."

Hinata spoke up.

"Um, Kurenai-sensei?"

"Yes Hinata?"

"What about Shedo-sensei?"

"What about him?"

"Well he's just lying there."

"That what happens when people take a nap, Hinata."

"A…nap?"

Kurenai's smile seemed just a bit too angelic.

"Yes. A nap. Shedo-san felt so tired after today's activities that he just went straight ahead and took a nap right here. Isn't that right boys?"

Kiba and Shino were smart enough to nod as they inched away from the woman. Kurenai smiled again before leaving.

"See you tomorrow."

A gust of wind and leaves passed and Kurenai was no longer there, a second passed before Shedo sat up and stretched. Kiba seemed genuinely surprised.

"Um…Shedo-sensei, are you alright."

The masked man nodded.

"Yea yea, I'm good. It's not the first time a girl's injured me because of sexy talk, those stories normally end with me leaving her unconscious though…a first time for everything I guess. See you kids around."

This time there was no strong wind or gush of leaves, just one moment Shedo-sensei was there and another moment he was long gone.

Hinata blinked, Shino adjusted his shades and Kiba exhaled as if he was having a good smoke.

"You know…one more year in the Academy doesn't sound all that bad."

* * *

 **There you have it! Chapter 2 of 'Magenta'. Please Review, PM me, tell me the hits, misses, ideas, constructive criticism still accepted.**

 **Kolsake wuz ere.**

 **Peace and Love.**


	3. Shedo's best element

**Hello Everyone!**

 **This is Chapter #3 of Magenta!**

 **I've been seriously loving the reviews and PMs so far, Keep it up!**

 **I have to thank those that have reviewed so far!**

 **TheRealDeal44**

 **Ambernightdazer416 (Special thanks for pointing out the differing colors of Hinata's eyes and hair)**

 **Alfomard**

 **Bankai777**

 **Synthetic Paradise**

 **Lilacblossom**

 **Sprry for taking so long but exams had me like a puppet, they're finished for now so….YAY SUMMER!**

 **BUT SEROUSLY GUYS, YOUR REVIEWS ENCCOURAGE ME!**

 **HELP ME SPREAD THIS STORY TO EVERYONE!**

 **Let's get this show on the road.**

 **I do not own Naruto or any other anime concepts that might appear.**

* * *

It was a beautiful night.

The full moon radiated with a simple elegant beauty that could hardly be matched as the stars twinkled, danced and brought life to the canvas knows as the night sky.

It was an unbelievably calming sight and she had resolved within herself that she would be taking late night strolls in her mother's garden more often.

The sound of footsteps coming closer as she struggled to even move much less sit up or stand was enough to remind her of her current situation.

She had been sparring with her sensei…well more like he sparred; and she tried to avoid certain death.

Indeed. It was a beautiful night; unfortunately Hinata wasn't in any condition to enjoy it to the fullest.

* * *

The indigo haired Genin slowly walked along the forest track that would lead to the center of Team Eight's training grounds, her body aching with each step, muscles and joints silently screaming as a fresh set of cuts and bruises decorated her once flawless skin. Clumps of dirt, splotches of mud and patches of grass clung to her hair, clothes and feet in a desperate struggle to stay attached to their host.

Exhaustion was a silky smooth voice persuading her to just plop down under the closest tree and take a short nap , the idea itself sounded good but she doubted her companion would allow her the momentary respite. With a soft groan and the obvious disapproval of her neck muscles, the Hyuuga heiress turned her head to look at her companion.

"Shedo-sensei?"

The masked shinobi glanced at Hinata.

"Hmmm?"

"Do you believe that I'm getting stronger?"

The masked shinobi tilted his head as his he folded his arms.

"We've only been training in Taiustsu for the past 2 weeks now. I've only been correcting a few flaws in your basic stances, muscle movements, punches and kicks to match your body type. I'm just laying a foundation for all the horrific training methods I'll be tormenting you kids with come next month. It would be difficult to gauge major levels of improvement from that. "

Hinata nodded in understanding as her sensei continued, trying to ignore the 'horrific training methods' statement.

"On the other hand I do see that you've been catching on to the corrections quite easily and you're reflexes have gotten just a tad bit sharper since our last training session. I'm honestly looking forward to your progress."

"Thank you for your honesty sensei."

A few seconds of silence passed before Shedo spoke again.

"Be careful to not be content with the average, sweet cheeks. If you don't give it your all and more in everything you do, you might end up failing yourself, your clan, your village and your country…."

Hinata bit her lip in worry, she was no stranger to failure and she secretly feared that she would probably always be acquainted with it. Her heart clenched as she saw herself branded and cast aside as her family continued their own cycle of hatred and segregation with no hope for a happier future.

A gasp and a happy sigh flew from her lips as a wave of calm power flooded through her being and, she looked up in surprise at the hand that was ruffling one of the cleaner spots on her head. Her sensei was probably channeling some of his chakra through their network to give her a small boost. His chakra seemed so strong, relaxed, warm and…familiar?

"Trust me, worrying about it won't solve anything, but you need to understand that the only way you'll overcome your circumstances and fulfill your plans for the future is if you become a monster of a shinobi, and that type of power doesn't come easily… luckily for you you're being taught by one of the few real monsters left."

Hinata mentally whimpered when her sensei removed his hand but nodded in acknowledgement of what he had said. A small smile formed on her lips as her index fingers pointed together.

"I don't think that's true sensei, you might be a little weird but you're certainly not a monster."

Shedo chuckled.

"Well I suppose I am a bit weird…let's hope the day doesn't come when your opinion changes."

Hinata looked back at him with a hint of worry but decided to shake off the dark foreboding feeling behind his words.

The pair continued their trek towards the rest of the team in silence.

* * *

Shino and Kiba slowly stood up as Shedo and Hinata approached them. Both male Genin took only a second to look over Hinata's new appearance before throwing accusatory glances at their teacher. Shedo titled his head again as he spoke.

"What? Did I forget to wear pants again? Cause I swear I'm going to just glue them to my legs next time…"

Shino slid his hands into his coat pockets as Kiba face-palmed.

"Your assumptions are incorrect, sensei. You did not forget to wear your pants…this time. We would like to know what happened to Hinata?"

Shedo turned around.

"What about Hinata? She's standing right there."

Kiba frowned.

"She looks like a ragdoll!"

Shedo shrugged as he started to walk towards to one of the rivers that ran through the training grounds, his team following close behind.

"Oh that…Well that's what you like when you get the crap and bad taijutsu stances beaten out of you for several hours. I assure you, her taijutsu will be much better now and even when she's covered in that much sweat, mud, dirt and grime she's still smells better than you mutt."

Hinata stifled a giggle; it seemed that this type of banter was slowly becoming a team tradition.

Shino glanced at Hinata before speaking,.

"Even so, we are merely concerned that you might have overdone it with her in your spars, sensei."

Shedo scoffed.

"Don't be so dramatic. A few minutes with a decent Hyuuga medic will have her fresh and ready for tomorrow. Don't pretend as if I haven't been putting you two through the grinder as well."

From their own disheveled appearances it was easy to conclude that Shino and Kiba did indeed also receive a decent thrashing from their sensei's shadow clones, but they still didn't look…or smell like their female teammate.

Kiba opened his mouth to argue but Shedo cut him off.

"Hinata is as much of a shinobi as you two are, I'm not here to baby any of you, I'm here to train you and offer you the chance to become the instruments of Konoha's march into progress and if the best way to do that is to continuously beat the crap out of you then so be it. You three must learn to trust me as your sensei."

Hinata's calm soft voice helped put the issue to rest.

"Sensei is right. All three of us need to be stronger and I believe what we are going through will only help us along that path. Those that have gone before us have probably endured worse, we should continue their legacy."

Shino adjusted his glasses as Kiba grunted in tandem with Akamaru's happy bark. Hinata had really started to become more vocal more recently, it was certainly an improvement from the girl that had left the Academy, her teammates were at least pleased with that.

Shedo came to halt right at the edge of the decently sized river that separated their training ground from Team Seven's. It was at that moment that Shino thought it was wise to inquire.

"Sensei…?"

The melodic answer that eased out of Shedo's mask was enough to make all three Genin plus Akamaru flinch.

"Yes, Shino-kun?"

"Why are we at the river?"

They could almost hear the sound of Shedo smirking behind his mask.

"You guys are dirty and you stink, there's no way I'm walking through the village with you guys in this state, you might harm my social image and reputation."

Kiba crossed his arms with a smirk.

"You mean your reputation for being an idiotic pervert?"

Suddenly the man that had led them to the river was now standing behind them; the Genin didn't stand a chance.

"No…the one for me being a dick to my students."

A large gust of wind hurled all three of them into the cold river as Shedo dropped a few bars of soap and a few rags on the river's bank.

"You three have ten minutes to get clean enough to appear in public. It's the two for one special at my favorite bar and I want to get wasted! Remember to wash your hair, Shino!"

Shedo smirked behind his mask again as he threw a biscuit to a very dry and safe Akamaru who only barked in thanks as he enjoyed his treat.

"Keep an eye on them, I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Arf arf."

"Good boy."

* * *

An individual fully attired in black shinobi gear watched Team Eight being thrown into the river with keen interest from his hiding spot. The mission that he had been signed by his master was merely one of observation and analysis, he was to ascertain how valuable these three clan descendants would be to Konoha and if any of them had the potential to become direct tools in his master's bidding.

This was only his third day, his first detailed oral report would be due 12 days from now, it left him ample time to fully evaluate the basic strengths and weaknesses of this team. Information was a better weapon than kunai or shuriken.

Despite the fact that Team Eight were meant to be a tracking team, the chances of them finding him were minimal much closer to impossible, he might not have been one of the most powerful shinobi but he was the very best at undetected surveillance.

He was well aware of the rumors and stories that surrounded the team's eccentric sensei but he had also determined that his quadruple layered genjutsu, his chakra suppression seals, the distance he kept and his scent blocking powders were enough to keep him…

Hmmm.

Why was he losing consciousness?

He then noticed the presence of someone behind him; he didn't need to turn around to confirm the identity. If he was spared, there would be more information that he would have to relay to his master.

The _Bloody Shadow_ was not to be trifled with, a man who could knock you unconscious with only his murderous presence was a frightening foe indeed.

Hopefully he would forever stay loyal to Konoha…

* * *

After dropping his trio of wet, miserable yet slightly cleaner minions off at their respective homes, and using a shadow clone to leave his guest one the doorstep one of the village's finest restaurants, Shedo made a quick stop at one off the few places he frequented while he was in the village.

 _Senbon_ was a bar for Konoha's elite shinobi that was privately owned by a married retired verterans couple who had both served in the Anbu corps They were decent people who served great liquor to despicable human beings who killed for a living, but no one had time to think about that when they were getting shitfaced and singing karaoke.

He merely nodded to the bouncer as he made his way inside the poorly lit establishment, the idea being that any shinobi worth their salt would still be able to make their way around without bumping into anyone or anything, drunk or not. He quickly made his way over to the darkest corner where some of his colleagues were enjoying themselves.

There were nods all around as he took his seat and ordered a light beer from one of the passing waitresses. A mature voice spoke out.

"Nothing strong for you, brat? Doesn't sound like your style."

Shedo leaned back in his chair.

"I have training with my brats starting at 4am, I'm planning to send them to hell on a bright red rollercoaster and I want to be fully sober to enjoy their cries of pain and anguish."

Another much older voice weighed in.

"Ah yes, reminds me of the good old times."

The first mature voice spoke.

"Surprising that you can remember anything at your age."

"My memory is good enough for me to recall the many times I made you shit yourself in training."

Shedo only chuckled.

How often one did you get to share drinks with the Sandaime Hokage and Jiraiya, the Toad Sannin ?

Might as well enjoy the old perverts go at it.

There was another individual at the table who was enjoying the teasing as well, he slowly sipped his drink as his faced stayed glued within the pages of his Icha Icha.

The legendary Copy-cat ninja, Kakashi Hatake.

"What's up Kaka? How's your team coming along?"

The silver haired man peeked out behind his book and delivered his famous 'eye-smile'.

"I'm doing fine. As for the team… I believe they're adjusting well to the Genin life. They don't give me dirty looks anymore when I take the 'Rescue Tora' missions."

A small round of chuckles echoed around the table as Shedo received his drink and offered a wad of cash to the waitress to clear his tab from previous nights.

"I've been doing some terrible D-ranks as well but I'll be concentrating on some more practical skills from now on, I plan to start working on their reserves and their chakra natures while Kurenai continues to lecture them on genjutsu, diplomacy etc."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't it a bit too soon for their chakra natures s to come into play?"

"I'm still not doing anything major. Just the simple stuff and maybe a C-rank offensive and defensive jutsu for each of them. They are shinobi after all, who knows when they'll need them."

"They're just children."

Jiraiya cut in.

"Nope, the moment they put on the headband, they became adults and shinobi…besides, we have the Chuunin exams to host in the next 4 or 5 months…"

The Sandaime Hokage frowned at Jiraiya as he felt the questioning looks from his drinking buddies as he took a large swig of his drink.

"I don't like to discuss business on my nights off…but yes we're hosting the exams and your Genin teams will be expected to enter and to give a good showing."

Both Jonin senseis nodded as they started to make plans for their respective teams.

Jiraiya scratched his chin as he leaned forward and rested his elbow on the table.

"It's at times like these that I don't miss being a sensei one bit. A real man like me should always be on the road-"

Shedo cut in.

"Getting thrown out of geisha houses."

Kakashi continued.

"Getting beat up for being caught peeping."

The Sandaime ended the verbal massacre.

"And getting swindled out of your money by ugly prostitutes."

Jiraiya pouted as he emptied his glass.

"I'm sure all three of you are the worst bar mates ever."

Shedo smirked.

"Speaking of the worst, I found a bad egg in my tray today."

The message had not been missed by any of the three shinobi seated at the table. The Sandaime casually ordered another drink before speaking.

"What did you do? Throw it out?"

"No. I brought it back to the supermarket and lodged a complaint with one of the cashiers. I'm sure it will get to the manager's desk in no time."

The Sandaime nodded.

"I see. I might have to stop shopping there; I do find some of their products to be quite unsatisfactory…"

A round of silence passed as the men simply thought about life as shinobi and the many obstacles it contained.

The somber thoughts didn't last for too long as they were joined by a very drunk Gai, who kept challenging Kakashi to karaoke duels, the pictures along were scandalous enough to blackmail the silver haired Jonin into oblivion.

They were shinobi, they were killers, thieves, destroyers but they were also just people trying to get by in a messed up world…

Jiraiya said his goodbyes first as he would be leaving the village early in the morning, he had reports of some kind of cult in Iwa that was killing politicians, he was going to investigate. The Sandaime excused himself right after saying that he had a few council meetings the next day that he would have liked to be early for.

Kakashi and Shedo would stay for a little longer making light pleasant conversation as Gai would challenge Ibiki and Hayate to a three way karaoke sing off which somehow ended in a draw. Yugao would of course claim that her boyfriend had been robbed.

Shedo only shook his head at the antics of his colleagues as he looked back at Kakashi.

"How long do you think the good times will last?"

Kakashi's eyes darkened before a few seconds before he blinked away the memories of his past.

"I'm not sure. But I'll do all I can to make sure that they last longer than last time."

Shedo only nodded as he took another sip of his beer.

"Ah, Shedo-kun?"

"Hmm…"

"Those pictures you took with me and Gai…."

"Will be kept safe and sound in my apartment."

"…Good."

"Until…I feel like giving them to Anko."

"Urk!"

* * *

It was 4:36 am and Team Eight had just concluded a very rigorous warm-up. Shedo was handing out small slips of paper to each of his Genin as they caught their breaths.

Kiba regarded the masked man with a cautious glare.

"What the hell are we supposed to do with this?"

"Channel your chakra into it."

The Inuzuka male looked down at the paper then back at his sensei.

"It's going to explode in my face isn't it?"

"Of course not. It's Thursday, I only pick prank Shino on Thursdays."

That statement caused the Aburame heir to stare at his slip of paper with great scrutiny as Hinata sighed.

"Fine. I swear on my honor as a Jonin that these slips of paper will not cause you any harm. It's to test your chakra natures, I wanted to start you on basic element training. It'll be fun!"

Hinata bit her lip before speaking.

"Fun like 'yay fun' or fun like 'leave us face down in the dirt fun'?"

"Um…both?"

All three Genin groaned before following their sensei's instructions.

Shino's paper crumpled together slowly as Shedo commented.

"Lightning? We are going to have to find a way to use that without frying your bugs."

Kiba's paper ignited and slowly turned to ash.

"Fire! I have an excuse to burn you now!"

Kiba blanched but then Shedo got serious.

"Just imagine it Kiba, the Inuzuka clan justu is already one of the most destructive, adding fire will only amplify that effect."

Kiba nodded.

"Um…sensei?"

Shedo turned his attention to Hinata.

"Well well well, isn't this is interesting."

Hinata gulped.

"What does this mean?"

Shedo leaned in close his mask and her forehead being only centimeters apart, Hinata could barely help the small red tint of her cheeks.

"This means that you and I are going to be having a whole lot of 'fun'…."

"Huh?"

"If there is any element I can ever claim to have fully mastered…"

Hinata looked back down at the paper that had been sliced in two.

"…It would be wind."

* * *

 **There you have it! Chapter 3 of 'Magenta'. Please Review, PM me, tell me the hits, misses, ideas, theories about the story, constructive criticism still accepted.**

 **Kolsake wuz ere.**

 **Peace and Love.**


	4. His name is

**Hello Everyone! Happy New Year! Woohoooo!**

 **This is Chapter #4 of Magenta!**

 **I've been seriously loving the reviews and PMs so far, Keep it up!**

 **I have to thank those that have reviewed so far!**

 **I promise to answer your questions soon!**

 **BUT SEROUSLY GUYS, YOUR REVIEWS ENCOURAGE ME!**

 **HELP ME SPREAD THIS STORY TO EVERYONE!**

 **Also I'm very sorry for taking so long to update.**

 **Let's get this show on the road.**

 **I do not own Naruto or any other anime concepts that might appear.**

* * *

"You know, back in my day Konoha's Genin were considered to be exemplary beacons of hope that gave this village a reason to believe in a brighter, safer and stronger future. Even though most of them were only in their young teens they were accepted as adults, important members of the Shinobi society and they were expected to return great profit based on our investments. But now all we have are some whiny little snot nosed bitches that keep asking for bathroom breaks every five minutes…"

Kiba groaned in a small amount of pain as he carefully placed a large wooden box on an oval shaped table.

"I only asked for a bathroom break **once** , Grandma."

The elderly Yasei Inuzuka more popularly known as the 'Wild Fang' leveled her grandson with an intense glare.

"You will refer to me as Inuzuka-sama or Yasei-sama while you are carrying out your duties, am I understood **Genin**?"

Kiba flinched before taking a few steps back. His grandmother was one of the few people that his own mother was legitimately afraid of. That made her a monster in his eyes; he would not readily seek to piss her off.

He carefully studied the elderly woman seated before him ( **A/N Just imagine Tsume but shorter, wrinkly and with gray hair)** , her dark brown walking cane was beginning to look more and more like a lethal projectile in her wrinkled hands.

The tension would be slightly reduced by the entrance of Shino and Hinata who were also carrying relatively large wooden boxes. The Aburame boy addressed their temporary supervisor.

"I believe this is the last of them, Inuzuka-sama."

A small feral smile brightened Yasei's face.

"Ah yes, thank you for all the hard work. This concludes your work for today. I believe Kiba-kun has much that he could learn much from you and Hyuuga-san."

Shino and Hinata merely nodded as they placed their respective boxes on the same oval shaped table that had been used by Kiba. The brown haired Genin frowned at his grandmother's choice of words before resting his hand on one the many boxes that they had carried into the modestly sized office.

"What's in these boxes anyway?"

Yasei's smile remained but there was now a dangerous gleam to her eye.

"That level of information should only be known by **Senior** Chunin operatives and those of higher rank. Even though a pursuit of knowledge is never a bad thing for a Shinobi, there are just same things that cannot be discovered that easily."

Of course that didn't mean she was unable to answer any of their questions…just _some_. But they probably wouldn't think of-

"Is there anything that you _can_ share with us, Inuzuka-sama?"

Yasei hid her surprise as she directed her gaze at the young Aburame heir. It seems her teasing had gotten piqued his curiosity. A much larger smile adorned her face as she allowed Shino and Hinata a glimpse of her fangs.

"Why don't you inform me of your observations? Impress me and I might bend the rules for you."

Shino breathed out slowly. Was it an honored past time for the Chunin and Jonin to play mind games with the Genin? He opened his mouth to begin the game of mental chess but he was unexpectedly beaten to the punch by the team's lone female member.

"I was thinking…that this was…some kind of special storage facility…?"

Hinata let out a barely audible 'eeep' when she found herself the focus of attention. Yasei nodded as she continued her little impromptu test.

"Well shouldn't that be a little obvious? Everyone needs storage space, even Shinobi. We have to keep the heads of our victims somewhere."

The little joke rattled the young Genin for a second… _only_ for a second before they regained their focus. Shino continued where Hinata left of.

"I also believe that whatever is stored here is of great significance to the village. Considering that it is an unmarked building located near the edge of the business district. It was probably chosen for that very same reason, it's inconspicuous and most people in the village will more than likely walk by it every day without even questioning its purpose."

Yasei nodded in satisfaction, at least these kids were thinking for themselves. Her greatest shock however would come from her own flesh and blood.

"It's all one big distraction isn't it? Like the shit that Shedo-sensei does sometimes."

Both Hinata and Shino directed odd looks at Kiba as he flopped down on the ground Akamaru happily dozing on his head. Yasei narrowed her eyes.

"What makes you think that my precious little Kibby-wibby?"

Kiba spluttered as his eyes widened.

"Grandma! You promised not call me that in public!"

Yasei snarled.

"That's Inuzuka-sama to you, shitfaced pup!"

Kiba was now standing up, pointing his finger at his grandmother.

"What?! That's just not fair you old hag!"

The woman slowly stood up.

"What did you call me you little…"

Shino sweat-dropped as Hinata tried her best to not burst out into fits of giggling after hearing Kiba's nickname. There was no way 'Kibby-wibby' would live this one down.

A newcomer decided to intervene before things got physical.

"I'm impressed Kiba."

"Ah!"

"Yah!"

"Ruff!"

"Huh!"

"Wha!"

Five exclamations of surprise (Akamaru included) rang out as the owner of this new voice literally fell from the ceiling. Shedo landed in a crouch before straightening himself.

"Sorry if I frightened you, I'm still getting used to the whole 'Don't sneak up on your allies' thing. My last job had me doing that a lot…most of those guys were pretty surprised too…but that was because of what I was doing to their necks with my kunai."

All three Genin unconsciously scratched their necks. Yasei merely twitched.

"Have my minions carried out their objectives, Yasei-obaa-chan?"

Yasei growled before answering.

"Yes they have you, insolent brat. They're free to go. I might request them more often from now on."

Shedo nodded.

"I've been taking missions from the other sectors as well so I'm not sure how available they will be."

Yasei returned the nod.

"I understand."

"I see. If I may ask, what sector is this building assigned to?"

Both Yasei and Shedo turned their attention to Shino before Shedo looked back at Kiba.

"Well since Kiba so amazingly figured out this building's true purpose. I wonder if he would want to take a guess?"

Kiba furrowed his eyebrows before chancing his arm at it.

"Errr…the guys that torture you for information and stuff?"

" **Wrong!** "

 **THWACK**

That was the sound of Yasei's cane slapping into the wall, a tiny dent remained as the wooden instrument slid to the floor.

"Hey watch it! You almost hit Akamaru, it's a good thing your aim sucks."

Yasei leveled Kiba with another heated glare before speaking.

"The building belongs to the Hunter Nin sector. It's a fake storage depot for mission reports, assassination orders, retrieval orders, etc."

Hinata pushed her fingers together as she spoke, why did she feel so nervous all of a sudden?

"But why would you need a fake storage facility?"

Yasei answered.

"In order to defeat our enemies we must think like them. If there were spies within the village they would seek to identify a place like this as an area of interest. A few Jonin stop by every day and there are always Chunin and Genin teams carrying unmarked boxes from the Hokage tower to the inside. Any spy would be led to believe that there's something important here and if the day comes where they would seek to investigate, steal or destroy whatever is in here, the village would escape with minimal losses."

Shino nodded.

"I see…and no spy would think that a village would go through so much work to distract them."

Shedo nodded.

"Perhaps the possibility would run through his or her mind, but based on how well these fake operations are managed it would be nigh impossible to distinguish between the genuine and the counterfeit."

Shino slowly pushed up his glasses.

"And even if a spy were to find out, then they would be constantly considering the validity of their reports concerning these areas of interest. It could probably become quite frustrating."

Shedo nodded again.

"Indeed. Only the higher ranked officials know the full length of the manner, we trust that you won't be spreading the little information you have around."

All three Genin nodded in understanding as Yasei spoke up.

"Perhaps I was wrong about you three; maybe Konoha won't have to call old people like me out of retirement when things begin to go downhill. Kids like you and Shadow over here will make the villages think twice before trying anything."

"Bloody Shadow?"

The question had been asked by Hinata who along with her teammates turned their attention to their sensei. Titles like that were not given out easily in a world where walking on water was an everyday occurrence, ninjas that received titles like 'the Professor', 'Copycat' and 'the Green Beast' were expected to be individuals of great skill.

Shedo allowed a sigh to escape his mask before turning to Yasei.

"Ma~ma, Yasei-obaa-chan,..now they won't stop asking me why people call me that."

"My honest mistake."

Yasei chuckled as she retook her seat, her cane somehow mysteriously re-appearing by her side, forcing the Genin to wear matching looks of confusion. Shedo merely shrugged before addressing his team.

"Get some lunch and meet me at the training grounds in an hour. We've got Defensive Ninjutsu training today and I'm making sure to not hold back so I advise you all write your last will and testament."

All three Genin gulped, nodded, said their goodbyes to Yasei and ran out the door leaving their sensei with the former Inuzuka Matriarch.

"I feel like you did that on purpose."

The woman nodded.

"I did. Your Genin should have an idea of who you are, what you are **capable** of."

"Perhaps, but that should come when I'm ready to tell them. Not before, I…I still have to be careful."

Yasei smiled.

"Yes. You are right. I do apologize, we Inuzuka are always known for our big mouths."

Shedo smirked.

"Don't I know it…Kiba is a prime example."

Yasei's eyes narrowed as she glanced at the tiny dent on the wall.

"That boy…he didn't realize…did he?"

Knowing fully well what Yasei was referring to, Shedo answered.

"Nope."

Kiba thought that his grandmother's cane had missed because she had poor aim; the truth was far more flattering, the cane had been on target it had missed him because Kiba had _dodged_ it. His reflexes were so sharp that not even he had noticed. Yasei continued speaking.

"I did not throw it with my full strength or at top speed…"

"Now you sound like an old person trying to justify their skills slowly leaving them."

Yasei glared at Shedo before continuing.

"But to still dodge it so easily…what have you been doing to my grandson?"

Shedo knew that the wrong answer would bring upon him the wrath of an overprotective grandmother.

"I'm training him to become a ninja that his grandfather would be proud of."

Yasei blinked.

"I see…Please carry on."

"I shall, It was a pleasure Yasei-obaa-chan. I promise to stop by more often."

And just like that the Shedo that was there was gone in a poof of smoke revealing, that he had been a shadow clone. Yasei Inuzuka was left alone with her thoughts as she contemplated the future of her village, clan and grandchildren.

* * *

"Ah. Team Eight, it's so good to see you all so early in the morning. Those who have an early start will always accomplish more in the day."

Team Eight stood proudly before the Sandaime Hokage as they returned his greeting with genuine smiles.

"Fuck off old man."

All three Genin and the Chuunin that were assisting the Hokage blanched at Shedo that was continuously massaging his temples under his maskj. The Sandaime Hokage's smile only became brighter.

"Ah, Shedo-kun. You don't seem like your usual chipper self, did something happen?"

"Either you, Kakashi or Anko put something in my drink last night. And this hangover just won't go away. That is uncool man. So what if I prank you guys from time to time…you're free to prank me back…never mess with a man's liquor though…that's just not right."

The Sandaime simply continued smiling as he slammed the D-rank scroll on the table causing Shedo to tumble to the ground in pain.

"Why is everything so loud, Mommy? I don't wanna go to school today."

Kiba, Hinata and Shino and the Chunin assistants sweat dropped before turning their attention back to their Hokage.

"Since you guys are so early you may have any D-rank you wish-"

"Actually Hokage-sama."

Everyone except the Sandaime himself almost jumped in surprise as Shedo addressed the Hokage ( from the floor) with respect and with clarity as if he had not been suffering from the hangover of all hangovers.

"Yes Shedo-san?"

"I would like to request a C-rank. Just to give my Genin a new challenge."

Sarutobi nodded in understanding as he brought out the C-rank scroll, if Iruka's shift had started he would have probably raised his objection to fresh Genin taking a C-rank but the Hokage trusted Shedo's judgment. He made sure to slam this scroll on the table as well (which elicited a few choice words from Shedo) before pulling out a sheet of paper and handing it to Hinata.

"There's a woman and her daughter staying at the Firewheel Inn, their names are Yoshiko and Riza Awabe. They are our clients; they will give you more information concerning their request when you make contact."

Team Eight nodded as they walked away, Kiba and Shino pulling their sensei's legs behind them. It made for a comical sight. Sarutobi chuckled when he thought of what would happen when they went down the stairs.

Another thought crossed his mind. Team Seven would come today at some point. Perhaps he could convince them to take a C-rank as well?

* * *

Yoshiko Awabe was a simple woman, a widowed farmer and a mother of twin daughters ( Riza and Riyo) that was currently residing on the western border of Fire Country.

Her story however is a bit more complicated.

In the last few years she had contracted a terrible illness that had forced her to abandon her farm in favor of bed rest. Medication was not cheap and one of her daughters (Riyo) had left home in hopes of finding work that could earn her enough money to provide for the family and purchase the much needed medication.

After a few months of silence from Riyo's end, the family had received a parcel that contained money and a letter from Riyo confirming that she had gotten a job near Fire Country's south coast working for the Akkai-Ga casino and hotel.

Months had passed and as Yoshiko and Riza would send letter after letter they would only receive a parcel every month with a wad of cash and a note from Riyo assuring them that she was fine.

Just three months ago Yoshiko had received a clean bill of health from her doctors and had written to Riyo telling her that she could come home if she wanted to. The three months that followed would present only a parcel of cash with no note from Riyo assuring her family of her safety.

Yoshiko had asked Riyo for an answer concerning coming home but there was no response. Both Yoshiko and Riza were convinced that Riyo was in some kind of trouble or was being held against her will. They however had no concrete proof for any of their suspicions, and they knew marching to the south coast by themselves would probably prove to be quite dangerous.

So that left them only one solution.

Hire ninja.

The mission was simple.

Find Riyo Awaba and bring her back home safely if possible.

* * *

A standard C-rank, Shedo had done some of these when he was around 6 or 7 years old. He had convinced Yoshiko and Riza that it would be easier and quicker to find Riyo if they stayed in Konoha, based on past experiences. He smiled in his satisfaction as his team joined him at the village gates ready to head out. He could see the determination in their eyes. These missions were always easier to do…the good guy missions. But what would his team do when they were required to be…the villains.

Shedo shook his head; he didn't need to think about that right now; he barely noticed Hinata approaching him.

"Sensei, we are packed and ready. What are your orders?"

The masked Jonin nodded his head before speaking.

"Let's move. I want to reach the south coast by nightfall, I hope you guys remembered to pack your expensive kimonos and some cash…we're going gambling."

All three Genin nodded as they followed their sensei as he walked out the massive village gates, throwing a scroll and a wave to the two Chunin at the booth.

"Oh and before I forget, I did some research into the Akkai-Ga casino while you went to pack, as Yoshiko said it's a fairly new establishment that has been bringing some tourists from all over. The Fire Daimyo's office had provided a provisonal license for it 42 months ago."

Shino spoke up as they began to tree hop.

"Do we have the name of the owner?"

Shedo nodded once more.

"His name is Gato. Gato Fuhai."

* * *

 **There you have it! Chapter 4 of 'Magenta'. Please Review, PM me, tell me the hits, misses, ideas, theories about the story, constructive criticism still accepted.**

 **Kolsake wuz ere.**

 **Peace and Love.**


	5. Casino Royale

**HI PEEPS! This is Kolsake with another chapter of Magenta!**

 **It only took like what…SIX MONTHS!**

 **I am so sorry it took so long guys, life kept coming at a very fast pace.**

 **Hopefully the summer will give me peace, PLEASE READ AND REVIEW.**

 **I do not own Naruto, but I do own my OCs.**

 **I will do a Review answering chapter soon.**

 **Unindentified location near Kofun town (Several miles south-east of Konoha)**

* * *

"I truly appreciate you coming to meet with us on such short notice Taiki-san; I understand how demanding a job like yours can be."

A bald headed Jonin and the Chuunin squad that flanked him exchanged nods of respect as they approached Shedo and Team Eight.

"On a daily basis I babysit and scold wealthy businessmen, entertainers, politicians, prostitutes and drug dealers who come here to relax, make a quick ryo, start a new life or to find a 'paradise _'_ away from reality. Not that demanding, annoying as hell but not demanding."

Takai Akiyama is a senior Konoha Jonin that had been assigned the duty of being the captain of Kofun's local police force. The police force itself consists of a few other Jonin, several Chuunin teams and two squadrons of Fire Country's best samurai. Their duty is to preserve the peace in Kofun town (which is one of Fire Country's main vacation spots) and to repel any attack from malevolent forces such as bandits, pirates and enemy shinobi.

Shedo chuckled lightly.

"Well it does come with S-Rank pay."

Takai smirked.

"I never said there weren't any benefits. Now…how can I be of assistance, Shedo-san? I openly admit that the presence of the 'Bloody Shadow' in my town makes me just a bit nervous. It wouldn't look good on my record if a few of our more dignified guests went missing overnight."

Shedo quickly shook his head, not paying any mind to how some of the Chuunin behind Takai reacted to the knowledge that they were now in the presence of one of Konoha's best assassins.

"No need for you or your team to worry yourselves. We're not here to kill anyone. You could say that we're here to do almost the opposite."

Years of experience and shinobi reflexes kicked in as Taiki caught the picture that Shedo had thrown at him in the blink of an eye.

"We're looking for that girl, her name's Riyo Awabe. It is believed that she is working for Gato Fouhai, the owner of the Akkai-Ga casino. We believe she is being kept in his employment against her will."

Taiki narrowed his eyes at the picture before passing it along.

"Not sure if I've seen her around, faces are barely consistent in this town. However I am well acquainted with Gato and I'm sure he left Kofun two weeks ago."

Hinata spoke up.

"Permission for us to speak, sensei?"

Shedo nodded without shifting his gaze, Hinata straightened her posture and took a breath before speaking.

"Taiki-sama, Is there anything else that you can tell us about this Gato?"

Taiki directed his attention at Hinata.

"Gato owns a business conglomerate known as 'Gato Industries', this casino is just one of his latest ventures in Fire Country, he's been in this game for a long time so he has the experience, the connections and the money, lots of it too. He doesn't just throw it around like some of these other shmucks either; he knows what he's doing. He spent his first few months here buying out some of the more popular casinos before starting his own, rumors have it that there were illegal activities involved but we can't arrest a guy with his influence without any concrete evidence. It could result in unfavorable publicity for this town and Fire Country."

"But there is no doubt that he is indeed involved in such criminal activities?"

That question had come from Shino; Taiki scratched his beard before nodding.

"If the underground rumors, the amount of lowlife mercenaries and lower ranked missing ninja he has watching his back are anything to go by then there are no doubts. But as I said, without concrete proof of him doing anything illegal within Fire Country's borders we'll just have to leave him alone as he conducts his business. He did have to submit profiles of all his workers when he started his businesses here, we could cross-reference them to see if we can find your girl."

"Sir, if I may?"

Taiki looked back curiously as one of his Chuunin underlings stepped forward with the picture in hand.

"You may speak Dojan."

"I've seen this girl before."

Dojan took a breath as he found himself as the new center of Shedo's attention. There was something about that blank porcelain mask that could unsettle the strongest of minds.

"Are you sure?"

Dojan looked back down at the picture and nodded.

"Her hair color was different but her face and her eyes were the same, I'm almost sure it was her. She frequented the little bookstores in the town center. That is the area I normally patrol so I see her quite often.

Hinata leaned forward.

"Her sister did speak about Riyo's love for literature."

Shino interjected.

"This could easily be coincidental. I would find it impossible to believe that Riyo is the only woman likes to read."

Dojan continued.

"But she doeshave a connection to Gato; in fact two of his mercenaries would escort her around the town. It would have seemed that they were only there as her guides but they could have just been around to keep watch on her as well. The only other place she would frequent was the carrier office down the street."

That fact had piqued Shedo's interest.

"The carrier office? So she was sending out letters often?"

Dojan shook his head.

"Normally she would, but in these last few months or so she kept going into the collection line, as if she was expecting a letter from someone, I'm not sure if she ever did collect any letters though."

Shedo nodded as he continued his line of questioning.

"Well here's the question that really matters, is she still in Kofun?"

Dojan frowned.

"I'm not sure. Two weeks ago my squad was sent back to Konoha for supplies and we had only rejoined the patrol yesterday, I haven't seen her since then."

Kiba voiced his opinion.

"Well maybe she left with Gato? If she's important to him in some way, wouldn't he want to keep her close?"

Shino nodded.

"Indeed that is plausible. However it is also reasonable to believe that she could be somewhere in the casino being kept away from the public eye until Gato returns."

Kiba frowned in annoyance not necessarily at his teammate but at the fact that he had a point.

Why couldn't missions be simpler? Find the bad guy, kick bad guy's ass, collect reward, and go home as heroes. Was that too much to ask for?

Shedo crossed his arms.

"We'll just have to confirm that Riyo is no longer here before we can even begin to think of looking elsewhere. There has to be someone at that casino that knows about Riyo."

The Hyuuga heiress glanced at her sensei.

"Well you did advise us to bring clothes and money; I guess we're going undercover."

"Undoubtedly, but we would also need to get a look at the areas of the building that the clientele aren't allowed to normally see."

Hinata blinked.

"You're planning something ridiculous aren't you?"

She could almost feel the wideness of Shedo's grin behind his mask.

"Not ridiculous my dear but utter genius… We would appreciate a degree of aid from the local police force, of course."

Taiki nodded.

"We will happily lend our services to our fellow comrades. It is the least I can do for the man who saved my life."

Shedo tilted his head in curiosity at Takai's statement.

"Really? I saved your life? I actually don't hear that line very often."

Takai nodded in understanding, the ''Bloody Shadow'' didn't build his fearsome reputation on keeping people _alive_.

"I was there…on that day in the capital, when that **thing** attacked the Fire Daimyo's palace."

A sudden chill passed through everyone that stood in the clearing, Hinata, Shino and Kiba all released a breath they didn't know they were holding. This presence…this aura…it felt like the air itself was holding a very sharp knife to their jugular, the feeling disappeared in the same second that it came. Shedo rolled his shoulders and flexed his gloved fingers (something Hinata did not miss) before he slowly took a deep breath.

"I see."

Taiki who was not as badly as affected as the others still realized that the wisest course of action would be to continue the conversation.

"What do you need from us, Shedo-san?"

With the tense atmosphere almost gone, Shedo once again spoke.

"Is the casino up to standard with the latest safety regulations and would you happen to have the building plans?"

Taiki nodded.

"Good. And one more thing…would the samurai corps have any spare armor in their possession?"

* * *

The manager of the Akkai-Ga casino, Jinoka Hamada smiled politely as her office door opened to reveal one of Taiki's subordinates; her secretary quickly encouraged the young man to enter before closing the door behind him, the shinobi bowed respectfully as he spoke.

"Good evening Hamada-san. My name is Dojan Fujimoto, a member of Kofun's police force. I only wish to have a few moments of your time."

Jinoka answered.

"The Akkai-Ga casino considers the police force to be our valued partners in our mission of improving Kofun. Please have a seat, Fujimoto-san. How can I be of assistance?"

Dojan nodded his thanks as he began to speak.

"We have received information from a reliable source that a certain V.I.P will be visiting your casino sometime tonight, we would like to do a few quick security checks before this person arrives."

Jonoka leaned back in her chair with a grin on her face.

"Oh? Not that I'm trying to be rude Fujimoto-kun but there are already several V. here, and we did not request or require your help with regards to our security, unless this new V.I.P is the Fire Daimyo himself or one of his senators, I think we will be fine on our own. I do appreciate the gesture though."

Dojan continued.

"Even if that is true, I assure you however that this is no simple matter, this person who we expect to visit your establishment is the heiress of the Hyuuga clan."

Jinoka's eyes widened as she leaned forward.

"The Hyuuga clan? As in the great Hyuuga clan of Konoha?"

Dojan smirked.

"You know of _another_ Hyuuga clan, Hamada-san?"

Jinoka frowned at Dojan's remark as her mind went into overdrive.

You would have to be a complete idiot to not know the power and influence behind the Hyuuga clan, especially among the members of the main house. To have the heiress herself as a client would be a golden opportunity to make profitable connections with real nobility…it was also very possible that it could erupt into a public relations catastrophe but every business came with risk and the potential benefits far outweighed what could be seen as possible losses.

She laced her fingers under her chin as she re-started the conversation with Dojan.

"You are indeed correct, Fujimoto-san. This is no simple matter; I appreciate you relaying this information to us; however I still believe that our security detail will be enough to handle such a situation, an individual of such she does have her own guards does she not?"

It was Dojan's turn to frown.

"Please do understand, Hamada-san. We cannot afford for Hyuuga-sama to be harmed in any shape or form while she is here. I can assure you that the leadership of her clan will perceive it as an insult to them and their image, they may be known as one of the most noble clans but they have also been known to show ample amounts of ruthlessness as well, and I assure you that the police force would not be the only ones that would have to answer to them especially her father."

Jinoka bit her bottom lip. Hiashi Hyuuga was a man that she had never meant in person, but the stories she had heard were enough to convince her of one truth.

He was not one to be trifled with.

Dojan spoke again.

"But if you are adamant that you will be refusing our request then we will have to take action and advise Hyuuga-sama and possibly the rest of our citizens not to come into this building."

Jinoka's eyes narrowed.

"You can't do that!"

"Why not? She is a citizen of Fire Country, and our allegiance is firstly to our own citizens, not to your business, we are at privilege to advise our own countrymen in these matters, that is why we are here. Unless you could provide a valid reason to all of us as to why you would not want the police force to do their own security checks?"

Jinoka knew she was beaten; Gato **would** kill her if she allowed such a chance to slip by, as cautious as she was about having the police force snooping around the casino she knew that the chances of them finding anything were still close to none. If she played this right she and the casino would only come out tonight as the winners.

"I do not know what you are implying Fujimoto-san. My hesitance comes from years of being in the business and seeing those in authority persistently trampling on the rights of others. I do not intent for that type of abuse to happen here, but if this is the only way then I will allow the police force to do their checks but please also understand that our own security will be accompanying you wherever you go."

Dojan got up from his seat and offered her his cheesiest smile.

"Of course, I believe we will accomplish more if we work together. Thank you again for your time and co-operation Hamada-san."

* * *

Shedo and Taiki sat silently on the edge of a rooftop not far away from the Akkai-Ga casino as they waited patiently for the return of their respective squads, Kofun's night life was at full swing below them as the restaurants, bars, and hotels in the town's square all seemed to be packed to capacity, in another far corner several night clubs and brothels seemed to be having the same level of success.

Taiki broke the silence.

"Forgive me for what I said earlier about…that day, Shedo-san. I had no intention of angering you."

The masked Jonin sighed and shook his head before answering.

"I am the one that should apologize, that day…is one I try not to remember for several reasons. Please pass on my apologies to your subordinates as well."

Taiki merely scoffed.

"Some of those brats actually want to apply for Special Jonin status next year, feeling the killer intent of one of the few elite shinobi around should give them an idea of how what true strength is. I would be more worried about your Genin."

Shedo snorted.

"I randomly through exploding boulders at them in evasion training, a little bit of my presence won't shake them up so bad."

The bald Jonin chuckled.

"Exploding boulders? And I thought Gai's methods were crazy. Well if they manage to survive they'll become great shinobi."

"That's the plan."

Taiki narrowed his eyes as two figures could be seen on another roof coming towards them.

"Here comes our boys."

Dojan and Shino landed softly behind the two Jonin before addressing their respective commanders.

"Taiki-sama."

"Shedo-sensei."

Taiki nodded.

"What is your report?"

Dojan spoke first.

"We have just concluded our final security check and we have withdrawn from the casino. Just as we expected, there are three Chuunin level missing nin of Gato's employ that are constantly guarding Jinoka."

Shino continued.

"The members of Team Eight also carried out our duties while we were disguised as members of the samurai corps but we found no trace of Riyo, based on our combined surveillance we have surmised that we have been in almost every room and the rooms that we had not entered were mere storage facilities, Hinata saw no trace of life."

Shedo spoke.

"Did you plant your insects?"

Shino nodded.

"Based on the building plans we received I devised the best place to plant my kikaichu so they would make it to their target in due time."

Shedo nodded.

"We move on to phase two. Tell Kiba and Hinata that they should get changed into their party clothes and wait for Taiki at the police HQ."

Taiki turned to Dojan.

"Continue to provide any assistance that is needed to Team Eight, please tell all patrolmen in the area to keep their eyes on the casino's entrances and exits for anything suspicious."

Both subordinates nodded before leaving to execute the orders of their respective superiors.

* * *

Jinoka was **THIS** close to having the mother of all headaches.

In an attempt to impress the Hyuuga heiress she had made several last minute preparations and adjustments to make her visit as comfortable as it could get without comprising the services available to the other patrons of the casino. It was a reasonable strategy in her mind and it would have worked too…if the Hyuuga heiress was the only person that had walked into the casino's lobby.

She had been told about only one VIP…not two.

There were TWO of them.

Two clan heirs presented themselves surrounded by an entourage of groupies, servants, and only **one** member of the local police force which was Taiki himself. She did claim earlier that the casino had enough guards to secure all their respective clients…perhaps the police force were taking her word for it.

She would not be allowed to show favoritism between the two. Even though the Inuzuka clan did not match up to the prestige of the Hyuuga clan, it would still be foolish to not understand how powerful, financially stable and influential it was. To insult any of them could be detrimental to the business.

Apparently the teenagers were celebrating some great occasion and wanted to try their hands at gambling in one of Fire Country's newest and most popular casinos. Unfortunately for Jinoka neither of them could decide on what game they should play so they decided they would try different ones, which meant that security (which was already stretched) had to now divide in two and escort each teen to different gaming sections of the casino.

To make matters worse both had implicitly stated they did not want to be bothered or talked to while they were trying their hands at the games, so not only did she have to set up private tables but security would also have to prevent any and every one from approaching them for whatever reason.

It had only taken the Inuzuka brat ten minutes to have the loudest table in the casino as he seemed to be pretty good at blackjack, several young ladies were busy cheering him on as they scratched the ears of his pet dog, it seemed his security instructions were only specific to _males._

The Hyuuga had a quieter table but had more trouble with people trying to join the respective game in order to acquaint themselves with the one of the future leaders of the shinobi world.

It had taken at least an hour to get things under control as each teen continued to move from game to game and sometimes mixing with the crowd just to go back into isolation which forced the security to keep on their toes, not to mention that the Inuzuka seemed to be a bit tipsy and was beginning to flirt with a few of the waitresses and patrons.

But it was still nothing outside of what Jinoka could handle, she sighed as she rubbed her temples, well on the bright side the casino would make a killing in profits and there was no way the situation could get any worse-

 **RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG**

A loud ringing sound disrupted her train of thought and the casino's fun.

Jinoka looked up at the ceiling in disbelief as the fire sprinklers activated dousing her and everyone else in the casino with water.

She closed her eyes. Of course, the fire alarm…and just as one would expect, what followed next was nothing but chaos.

A noisy stampede of the noble, wealthy, influential and lucky charged through the game room of the casino as all tried to escape the sprinkler system's vengeful downpour, Jinoka took another breath before issuing out orders to the three guards behind her.

"I need two of you to help with the evacuation of the guests and the workers and keep them all calm. Make sure nobody gets hurt; remember that some of the clients are drunk so they might need help walking out of here. I need the third guy to try to find the fire if there is one and to disable the sprinklers from the control panel after that."

One of the guards spoke up.

"What about you Jinoka-sama?"

Jinoka shook her head.

"There's something I have to do in the main office, once I'm done I'll evacuate to the outside as well. Don't worry about me I'll be fine, a little water won't hurt me."

There was a moment's hesitation from the guards but another nod from the senior woman was enough for them to depart on their assigned tasks, Jinoka quickly made her way into the office locking the door behind her as she started to quickly put away some very important documents before the water could cause any more damage to them, she would have to get Gato to resign some of these.

How irritating…

And then it happened.

There was darkness…no…not just the absence of light…but a reality that she could not comprehend. The darkness was surrounding her, choking her, squeezing her, **infecting** her. She tried to scream but the darkness swallowed up the sound before grabbing hold of her tongue.

" _ **Do you wish to be free?"**_

A deep animalistic voice echoed in the darkness and her eyes widened in hope, she could suddenly talk again!

"YES! HELP ME PLE-!"

Her words died in her throat as two very sinister red eyes jumped out of the darkness and glowed with fury. Her body trembled in fear as the eyes grew larger and larger and the darkness grew stronger and stronger.

" _ **Then tell me what I want to know!"**_

It would be some minutes later that the guards found Jinoka Hamada unconscious on the floor.

She would claim the next day that she must have slipped on one of the rugs in the office and had hit her head on the way down.

Her nightmares about drowning in a pool of thick black darkness would only last for a week after that.

Investigations had revealed that the sprinkler system had come on because some _bugs_ had eaten through some of the wiring in the control panel and had caused a malfunction.

* * *

It was a day and a half after the fiasco in Kofun that we find Team Eight on an empty port on the south-east of Fire Country staring at an empty horizon. Kiba aired his frustrations at the empty port.

"And that Jinoka person claims that Riyo is on a ship heading towards Kiri?"

Shedo nodded.

"According to her, Riyo is a prodigy at accounting and Gato has been using her to balance his more troublesome books, he wants her to go through some of his bigger business ledgers in Kiri and that's why he sending her on one of his ships against her will."

Hinata frowned as she used her Byakugan.

"I can make out about three ships very far away but I can't be sure if any of them is Gato's."

Shino looked at his sensei.

"It would be best if we hired the services of a faster boat and attempt to make landfall at Kiri before them."

Shedo shook his head.

"Kiri has been going through a civil war, a bloodline purge and a few failed coups over the past few months, I'm sure that a team led by an assassin with two three bloodline users will not be welcomed with open arms and I'm not taking that chance with your lives."

Shino exhaled.

"Then we have failed."

Kiba growled.

"We can't just give up now. We can't make bastards like Gato win"

Hinata continued the sentiment.

"There must be something we can do?"

Shino stayed his silent but his mind was busy seeking a solution to their obstacle.

"Who said we were giving up?"

All three Genin of Team Eight blinked in surprise as they saw a copy of their sensei running at full speed across the ocean.

Kiba voiced what Shino and Hinata were thinking.

"WHAT THE FLYING FUCK?! THAT CLONE IS FAST!"

Shedo chuckled.

"Oh no, he's the real deal, I'm a clone he left behind so you guys wouldn't feel abandoned."

Kiba's tirade didn't end with that sentence.

"THEN WHY DIDN'T YOU BRING US WITH YOU, YA BASTARD!"

Shedo's clone shook his head.

"I need to move at my full speed to catch those ships before they enter Kiri's waters, you guys may have water walking down, but water running and water skating is still a little bit too muvh for you guys. Plus there might be sharks in these waters I may be moving too fast for them but you guys would be targeted."

Hinata's gaze turned downward.

"So we would only be hindrances to you?"

Shedo's clone looked at the girl for a few seconds before answering.

"Yes…but the reason why you are all training so hard is so that one day you won't have to worry about that."

The words seemed to connect with Hinata as she lifted up her head again and nodded with fresh determination. Shino posed a question.

"What would you want us to do while you are gone?"

"It might take me a day or two to catch those boats and search them so it's best that you lay low in this area, I believe it's called the Land of Waves. Remember that battle ground we came across earlier?"

All three Genin nodded. On their way to the port they had passed through what looked like the site of a battle between two water specialists.

"I recognized one of the chakra signatures that were there. It belongs to Kakashi Hatake, he is a Konoha Jonin and a personal friend, more than likely he is still here with his own team of brats, they should not be too hard to find. Connect with them, find out why they are here and render assistance if possible, there is strength in numbers."

All three Genin chorused with Akamaru barking.

"Yes Sensei!"

"Arf."

"There's two other things you guys should know."

Team Eight listened closely.

"If what Jinoka told me is accurate…then Gato might just be here too."

All three Genin tensed as they understood some of the implications of the statement. Shedo continued.

"Find Kakashi if you can, if you can't find him stay low until I come back. Do not engage any enemies unless you are engaged first, if your lives are in danger head back to Kofun. Hinata is still team captain for this mission."

All three Genin nodded again as Hinata also took a few deep breathes before speaking.

"What was the other thing that we should know Sensei?"

Shedo chuckled before putting his hand on Hinata's shoulder.

"I'm a paint explosion clone."

All three Genin started to nod again before the words hit home, Kiba once again was the voice of the masses.

"YOU'RE A WH- **BOOOM!** "

* * *

It would only take a few hours for Team Eight to find Team Seven and an unconscious Kakashi at Tazuna, the bridge-builder's home and even though Team Seven were grateful to have backup in the form of Team Eight, none of the Genin there thought it wise to ask as to why their colleagues were all covered in bright pink paint and as to why Hinata's eyes glowed with an unyielding evil rage.

* * *

 **CHAPTER FIVE IS DONE! I PROMISE THERE WILL BE ACTION IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! Please continue to support the story with REVIEWS, FAVS AND ALERTS. Let everybody know about it if ya like it. All honest opinions and fair criticisms are accepted.**

 **Peace and Love.**

 **Kolsake was ere.**


	6. Eights and Sevens

**HI PEEPS! This is Kolsake with another chapter of Magenta!**

 **It only took me 3 weeks! SO YAY! REVIEW MORE!**

 **Hope you guys are enjoying the summer**

 **I do not own Naruto, but I do own my OCs.**

 **I promised to do a Review answering chapter soon and it is on its way.**

* * *

"…aaaaaaand that's how we moved from a simple escort mission to guarding the number one target of one of the world's richest and most ruthless men…Any questions?"

All three Genin of Team Eight sweat-dropped as the bed ridden Kakashi struggled to use his one good hand to pullout his Icha Icha. Hinata decided that it was in her best interest to ignore the silver haired Jonin's antics.

"Shedo-sensei had instructed us to provide any assistance that we could but in all honesty I'm not sure how much help we could be against Zabuza and his partner."

Kakashi delivered his infamous eye smile.

"Don't sell yourselves short, those chakra replenishment pills and your usage of the Mystical Palm technique has sped up my recovery. I should be walking by tomorrow and be at full strength in the next three or four days. With the exception of Zabuza's partner being some kind of super medic-nin, I estimate that he should need at least a week to be at eighty percent."

Shino voiced his concerns.

"Even if your assumptions are indeed correct Kakashi-sensei, what guarantee do we have that his accomplice will wait until another week before making another attempt at Tazuna-san's life?"

Kakashi slowly used his thumb to turn another page as he answered Shino.

"There is no guarantee. However the logical course of action would be for them to wait. He saw me beat Zabuza and I'm sure he had left before I had fainted from chakra exhaustion so he knows nothing of my current condition. He probably figures that he stands a much better chance against us with Zabuza back up on his feet. He does seem quite strong though, there's no doubt that both of our teams will have to work together to handle him while I re-engage Zabuza. "

Kiba flexed his claws a few times.

"We'll do our part Kakashi-sensei, anything to save this place from that bastard Gato; I wouldn't mind giving that rich prick a good old-fashioned beat down with my own two hands."

Shino turned his attention to his feral teammate.

"Our main objectives come first, Kiba. We should also be very cautious about bringing any harm to Gato without proper cause. He may only be a civilian but that does not mean that he isn't very dangerous."

Kiba grunted.

"Yea yea, I was just saying, ya know? The fact that he can afford to hire an A-rank like Zabuza, C-ranks like the Demon Brothers and whoever else might be on his payroll shows that he means business."

Kakashi stopped reading for a moment to focus his one eyed gaze on Kiba.

"I don't remember mentioning the ranks of either Zabuza or the Demon Brothers."

Kiba shrugged.

"Sensei has a bad habit of leaving out his bingo books whenever we have training, I sometimes read them when while I'm cooling down or on a break. Some profiles tend to leave an impression, _Demon of the Hidden Mist_ Zabuza Momochi was one of the few I would never forget and I do remember those Demon Brother guys being listed as some of his known associates."

Kakashi decided to keep his opinion on Shedo's 'bad habit' to himself as Hinata continued the conversation.

"I would still advise you to not rush your recovery Kakashi-sensei, I'm still a novice at the Mystical Palm technique and I can only do so much, the pills should have given your coils a boost as they refill but you won't be help to any of us if you don't get proper rest."

Kakashi nodded.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. While we wait, we should secure this house's perimeter and keep a guard on Tazuna at all times. It is possible that Gato also has a group of thugs and bandits in his employ; I wouldn't be surprised if they did try some type of ambush or sneak attack on our client or his family. I doubt we will be caught off guard considering your abilities. But let's keep our eyes peeled."

All three members of Team Eight nodded in understanding as they exited the room, leaving Kakashi to enjoy his special literature without interruption.

* * *

 **Two days later**

A moderately sized motor boat was speedily making its way across the ocean's surface, four of the vessel's occupants sat in a small semi-circle giving their full attention to their leader. Standing before them was an attractive, slender woman wearing the standard Kiri Anbu uniform minus the mask, her face was bearing a well formed frown.

"What do you mean they're all dead? How can a ship's entire crew be dead?"

One of the four that were seated, a blue haired man that wore an eye-patch responded on the behalf of the team.

"At first we suspected that pirates would be responsible but the ship's… other inhabitants have not been disturbed."

The woman leaned forward inquisitively.

"The other inhabitants?"

The blue haired man grimaced.

"Women. It was more than likely a slave ship heading towards one of our islands for supplies before heading to Moon Country, the slave market there has been growing recently.

The woman sighed heavily. Ever since Yagura had started his foolish war, Kiri no longer had the resources to properly monitor their waters. Those who have been involved in illicit activities have taken great advantage of the situation.

She ran a hand through her auburn colored hair.

"What do they know?"

"Not much. They all have the same story, when they woke up this morning all of the cell doors were opened and all of their captors were dead. Whoever did this was pretty good too; each one of those bastards had their throats slit. Quick and clean. The ship's systems have also been reconfigured, if left interrupted it will end up in Fire Country waters before the end of the day."

The woman tilted her head.

"So someone from Konoha did this?"

"That is possible but there is no definite proof. The only thing we are sure of is this ship does belong to Gato…are you sure about this Mei-sama?"

The question was out of genuine concern, not only the concern of the man asking it but the rest of his team as well. They trusted Mei as their leader; she was one of the few bloodline users left that was still putting up a fight against Yagura. Her strength and character was one of the main reasons why she had been chosen as the rebellion's new leader.

Mei paused before answering, studying the faces of each of her comrades, she understood their concerns as even she reflected on her own doubts, but all that were present knew the situation.

Rebellions are expensive.

Weapons.

Food.

Medicine.

Armor.

Tents.

They all cost money, money they didn't have. Kiri's official forces still had the backing of the government so money was much less of an issue for them. That was one problem that the she aimed to fix. If they could convince Gato to sponsor them, then they would have a better chance of winning this war.

The man would not do this freely but with the deal that Mei had in mind, he would more than likely accept a temporary alliance with their rebellion. One of the negatives of being a leader was that sometimes hard decisions had to be made and this was a fine example.

"I understand your hesitance…but we need his money, as sickening as it is we cannot ignore the fact that this is one of the few chances we have to save our village. With Yagura's disappearance being confirmed by it is time we took the initiative to attack his forces."

The silence lasted for only a few seconds before Ao replied.

"Then let us take this chance before our window of opportunity closes. There should be at least one other ship in these waters that belong to him, perhaps we might find a representative that can provide us with more information on his whereabouts."

For an inexplicable reason Ao's reply was not fully processed by Mei's ears , only a few choice words seemed to resonate within the reaches of her mind.

" _Take…my chance?"_

" _Window of opportunity…is closing?"_

Unknown to those around her, Mei had developed a secret fear of ending up like one of her teachers in the academy. Her instructor had not taken her love life very seriously and one day woke up in a serious condition.

Old, single, unwanted and miserable.

She was already twenty-eight and still did not even have as much as a _boyfriend_ much less a husband, still too busy with the rebellion to even seriously think about those matters. With that being sad, any statement that even _sounded_ like a reminder of her current romantic situation was not welcome at all.

Her killing intent flared again as her green eyes glowed with fury.

"Shut up Ao or I'll kill you!"

Ao gulped as the rest of the squad cowered in fear.

* * *

Dinner in the home of the master bridge builder was a quiet affair despite the number of people seated at the rectangular shaped table. Team Seven and Tazuna's daughter Tsunami all sat on one side while Team 8 and Kakashi were sitting on the other; Tazuna himself was in the living room looking over some of the final plans for the bridge.

The silence reigned for a few more seconds before someone finally spoke.

"You're free to pose your questions to us, Sasuke."

The lone survivor of the Uchiha massacre blinked in honest surprise as the Genin began to exchange glances between themselves and especially between himself and Shino.

How did the Aburame even know that he…?

"Pardon me if I am mistaken but I am almost sure that you have been glancing and occasionally staring at us for the past few hours. This could be attributed to one of many possibilities. You are curious about something we have said or done; you are suspicious of us and consider us potential enemies…"

Shino paused as he casually took a bite of his supper.

"…or you have finally given into your homoerotic desires and have somehow fallen madly in love with Kiba."

The reactions differed drastically.

Tsunami was trying her best not to choke on _air_.

Kakashi helpfully slipped her a few words of advice as he patted her on the back, none of the Genin had noticed him move or the small upward curve of his lips behind his mask.

Kiba himself was regarding his male teammate with a bored expression as Hinata bit down on her lip _hard_.

Team Seven's third Genin member, a pale skinny teenage boy named Sai blinked a few times before looking over at the Uchiha.

"Hm…this would explain your constant refusal to enact hormonal sex rituals with our teammate despite her continuous efforts."

The entire table now focused on Sakura whose entire face now resembled the reddest of tomatoes.

"I…I…"

To her relief Sasuke would interrupt as he growled out a response to Shino.

"I. Am. Not. Gay!"

Shino tilted his head.

"Are you sure? I assure you that none of us would think less of you for it."

"YES!"

"Hmmmm."

A few seconds of silence passed again as both Shino and a Hinata who was still biting down on her lip handed a few ryo to Kiba, the Inuzuka t quickly deposited the notes into his jacket pocket without saying a word. The entirety of Team Seven plus Tsunami silently asked the question with their eyes, a question that Hinata was able to answer.

"We made a bet. Kiba won. We lost."

Sasuke's right eyebrow began to twitch.

"You guys made a bet on whether I was gay or not?"

Shino nodded.

"Well…Yes. Don't take it too personal though Sasuke. Our sensei has gotten us into the habit of making silly bets concerning all of our colleagues. It just turns out that when it came on to you it was the only thing we could think of. I'm honestly surprised though, Kiba rarely gets these right."

Kiba smirked as he crossed his arms.

"Sasuke may be a massive prick and all, but there's no way he's gay. He always has this weird blush on his face whenever my sister is around. I think he's into older women or something."

Sasuke groaned out loud as he felt the focus of the entire table shift to him again. He took a few moments to collect his thoughts before speaking.

"Forgive me for putting an end to your entertainment, but I do not intend to spend the night talking about my sexual preferences. Can we please move on? To answer your question Aburame, I was only curious about your team, that's all."

Sasuke could easily tell that his answer was nowhere near enough to satisfy the inquiry as even Kakashi had now closed his little orange book. The silver haired Jonin's singular eye seemed to spark with embers of mischief as he spoke.

"Oh? What is it about Team Eight that peaks your curiosity, Sasuke?"

Sasuke answered before anyone could slip in a joke or insinuation.

"I went for a very early jog this morning and came across KIba and Hinata sparring…on the surface of the lake."

Sakura's green eyes lit up in shock.

"On top of the water?! You mean like what Kakashi-sensei and that freak Zabuza were doing? I thought that was something only Jonin could do!"

Kiba's left eyebrow shot up in surprise.

"You guys haven't started water walking yet? Well to be fair it did take us around two weeks to get tree running down."

Sakura frowned.

"Tree running? What's that?"

Sai answered his teammate, his wide plastic smile a direct contradiction to the toxic nature of his words.

"It is an advanced form of the chakra control exercise known as tree walking, Useless Hag."

Sakura growled in anger as she cracked her knuckles.

"Care to repeat that Sai?"

"Are you deaf as well? Well that would explain why you're so useless- **WHOOSH** …"

That was the sound of Sakura's right hook missing Sai's face as he leaned back at the last possible second.

Sai was one of the weirdest, creepiest persons Sakura had ever come across not only did he occasionally insult Sasuke-kun and herself, that bastard was incredibly hard to hit damnit!

Sasuke frowned.

"Could you two stop behaving like little children? You're shinobi for Kami's sake."

Sakura grimaced at being disciplined by Sasuke as she looked between him, Sai and Team Eight.

"Well he started it, I don't know why he keeps calling me 'Useless'."

"Because you **are** a useless kunoichi, Useless Hag."

Sakura growled again as Kakashi tried to diffuse the situation with humor.

"Sai, please desist from referring to Sakura like that for now, we wouldn't want her to damage our client's home in her teenage rage."

Sai put on his plastic smile again.

"I apologize. I was unaware that the truth would cut so deeply."

Sakura frowned.

"I am not useless!"

And in that moment Sai's face switched from that strange plastic smile to the emotionless mask of a being that considered itself far better than whoever it was addressing.

"Name one productive contribution that you have made to this mission. Dickless and I fought the Demon Brothers and helped sensei when he was caught in Zabuza's trap. Team Eight has provided assistance with our guarding and surveillance duties and Hyuuga-sama has personally helped with sensei's recovery; and they have only been here for two days. I am still waiting to see what you are capable of."

Sakura opened her mouth to answer but with the realization that there was no retort that would prove Sai's accusations as false the green eyed girl merely got up from the table.

"…Please excuse me…I'm going for a walk"

Kakashi's voice rang out as she opened the front door.

"Stay on the main road and don't go any further than the town marketplace, you have third watch so please be back by then."

Sakura nodded weakly as she closed the door behind her, a few moments of silence passed before Shino also stood up.

"I will be checking our traps around the perimeter; I also believe that I have first watch. Please excuse me as well."

Tsunami, Kiba and Sai also excused themselves to their various tasks leaving Kakashi alone with the two respective Genin captains. With a silent sigh, the silver haired Jonin closed his Icha Icha before speaking.

"Ladies before gentlemen."

That was an indication that Hinata could go first. The Hyuuga heiress shook her head.

"I have nothing to say Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi smirked.

"Your eyes and posture say differently, Hinata."

Hinata had forgotten that she was still dealing with an _elite Jonin_. There was no hiding things from people like him, not at her level.

"…I am surprised that you did not say anything in Sakura's defense."

"I admit that Sai's people skills and timing need a lot of work and I will address that issue but in this instance it was up to Sakura to defend herself, not me."

Hinata nodded in understanding as Kakashi continued.

"Unlike you, Sakura was not raised in a shinobi clan. She does not fully comprehend the gravity of being a shinobi; even though she is a Genin she still has the mindset of a civilian teenage girl. Sakura is more concerned with beauty products and looking good for Sasuke than training and knowing if her kunai and shuriken are sharp enough. That has to change."

Sasuke chimed in with a question of his own.

"Is that the reason you haven't taught any of us these chakra control exercises yet? If Sakura is holding us back then she needs to leave, I need to be stronger to accomplish my goal Kakashi-sensei."

Hinata frowned at Sasuke's statement before noticing the flash of sadness in Kakashi's eye.

"Don't count her out so quickly Sasuke, she is the top ranked kunoichi in your class for a reason and with the right guidance she might even surpass you one day."

Sasuke scoffed at that.

"Yeah right. All I'm saying is that I don't mind her staying as long as she improves, she could be less annoying though."

In that moment Sasuke felt a shiver run down his spine as his sensei made eye contact with him, the look in Kakashi's eye was so vacant…so empty…it was if Sasuke was facing… _him_ again.

"Let us get a few things straight Sasuke. I am the leader of this team. I answer to the Hokage. Not you. If someone stays or leaves this team it is by choice or the Hokage's not yours. I choose when and how this team is trained. Not you. And I choose when you are ready for a certain exercise or technique. Am I understood?"

Sasuke gulped and nodded.

"Y-Yes sensei."

Kakashi eye smiled and the shiver that Sasuke felt was suddenly gone.

"Good. Now please inform Sai that we will be starting tree walking tomorrow morning as I had planned. I will inform Sakura when she returns."

Sasuke nodded again before getting up from the table and bolting up the stairs that lead to the bedroom that the boys from Team Seven and Eight had shared. Kakashi turned his attention back to Hinata and shrugged.

"Team dynamics have never been my area of expertise."

Hinata wasn't sure of how to respond to the claim as Kakashi re-opened his Icha Icha.

"By the way, I heard you guys got pranked by Shedo when he left to find that girl. I have a few ideas that could help you get back at him if you are interested."

Hinata's eyes slowly began to glow with righteous anger.

"Tell me more, Kakashi-sensei."

* * *

Shedo's supersonic sprint across the ocean steadily came to a light jog as he glanced in a random direction.

"Evil has gained a new face and a new ally. I must be prepared for the war of pettiness that is coming. I have foolishly made too many enemies...this might be fun."

Shedo would have continued his silly rant if he had not spotted another ship in the not too far distance.

"That must be Gato ship number two. Let's see if Riyo is onboard this one."

* * *

Haku quietly hummed to herself as she slowly collected the medicinal herbs that she needed for Zabuza's treatment. As saddened as she was that her master had been heavily injured in his last fight, she couldn't help but feel relaxed as she knelt down on the forest floor. Nature always appealed to her in a special way, the atmosphere, the smells, the colors and especially the sounds.

The soothing sound of the small forest stream bringing life and refreshment.

The small forest animals scurrying about with energy.

The birds above that sang their songs of joy with delight.

 **SNOOOOORE**

The snoring of the…wait what?

Haku blinked owlishly as she stood up and followed the sound of the snoring to a clearing not too far away and noticed a figure fast asleep in the open. She instinctively pulled a senbon needle out of her dress as she drew closer. Years of being on the run with Zabuza-sama had taught her to expect the unexpected.

The young girl took a minute to take a survey of her environment and after making sure that it wasn't some sort of trap she slowly slipped the senbon back into her dress and came close enough to get a look at the person sleeping.

It was a boy; maybe a year or two younger than her. His brown shaggy hair had complimented the red tattoos that decorated his cheeks. Who got tattoos on their face though? She had seen some of her master's tattoos and none of them were on his face.

Her eyes narrowed as she studied the boy's clothes, this was the attire of a shinobi but who was he and where was he from?

He certainly didn't look like anyone from Kiri… that certainly didn't mean that he wasn't an enemy.

A gleam of light caught her eye and her focus shifted, it was there in a pile of clothing not too far away from the boy's body did she see the headband that bore the insignia of Konoha.

Haku took a few steps back as she examined her surroundings again. This boy was from the village that was protecting the bridge builder; she didn't remember seeing him with that team that the Copycat ninja was leading, so he was more than likely not there at the time.

Backup? Arriving so quickly? In any case she had a problem on her hands.

Several questions continued to race across her mind as she looked down at the boy.

What could she do?

She could bring him back to their cabin and interrogate him but the Konoha team would probably miss him soon enough and send out a search party and there was no way she was going to lead them to Zabuza in his condition.

There was another option.

She could use her 'innocent girl' act to get all the information she wanted before leaving him to his own devices. One of the first lessons she learned from Zabuza after going through puberty was that boys were always stupid for pretty girls.

She took a few deep breaths to calm her own nerves before reaching down to try to wake the sleeping boy up.

In one swift motion the boy grabbed her hand flipped her over unto her back straddled her waist before pulled a kunai out of his weapons pouch.

There was an awkward silence between them as his sharp black vertically slit pupils met her caramel ones.

"Are…are you one of sensei's clones?"

Haku blinked.

"What?"

"Are you one of Shedo-sensei's clones? He likes transforming his clones into random girls and sneaking them into my house to mess with me. This wouldn't be the first time I woke up with one."

Haku blinked again.

"What?"

Kiba sniffed the air a few times before blushing and standing up and pulling Haku to her feet as well.

"Um. Don't ask, uh sorry about that. I didn't hurt you did I?"

Haku slowly shook her head.

"No…I'm fine, just a little shaken."

Kiba leaned in closer as he gently checked her arms for any injuries; Haku tried her best to ignore the warmth in her cheeks.

"Are you sure? I could get my teammate to take a look at you."

Haku smiled weakly again.

"No that's fine. I'm ok. Really."

Kiba nodded and smiled.

"That's a relief. I'm sure Hinata and Shino would chew me out for hurting a stranger."

Kiba looked around the clearing a few times before speaking.

"I must have dozed off after Akamaru chased that rabbit."

Haku saw her chance to get what she needed.

"Akamaru ? Is he a friend of yours?"

Kiba answered her inquiry with another feral grin before putting his fingers to his mouth and whistling loudly.

Haku would never admit to anyone that she had instantly forgotten about her secret mission the moment she saw Kiba's happy little puppy rushing into the clearing. It really wasn't her fault that Kiba had such a potent countermeasure that had rendered her helpless.

Let's all be honest here.

 _Who doesn't like puppies?_

* * *

 **Three days later**

Sasuke groaned as he slowly regained consciousness and opened his eyes.

"What…happened?"

"Sasuke-kun!"

His vision was instantly filled with pink and green as Sakura was now hovering over him with an expression of worry etched on his face.

"Sakura? What…?"

And that was when the memories began to flicker in Sasuke's mind, it was Team Seven's third day doing the Tree Walking exercise when Kakashi-sensei had brought along Team Eight so they could have a few sparring sessions together, after Sai had lost to Kiba and Sakura had lost to Shino it was time for him and Hinata.

He had promised the girl that he would go easy on her since she was practically the Dead Last of their graduating class. He should have known that he made a mistake. Hinata gave him the _sweetest_ smile before thanking him as she took off her jacket and got into her taijustu stance.

Unfortunately it was while Sasuke was …distracted by Hinata's…physique that Kakashi had started the spar.

The Uchiha had only blinked twice Hinata was already behind him delivering a kick to the back of this head and thus the darkness welcomed him into its embrace.

The Uchiha blinked a few times to focus his sight as Sai entered the room wearing that plastic smile again.

"Well now I'm absolutely sure that you're not gay, Dickless."

Sasuke groaned as Sakura looked between the two boys with a confused look on her face.

"What are you talking about Sai?"

Sasuke silenced the young man with a glare as he sat up on his futon, Sakura and Sai must have carried him back to the house. The pale Genin only smiled at Sakura once more before handing a slip of paper to Sasuke who looked up at him in curiosity.

"What's this?"

"Kiba asked me to give it to you."

Sasuke opened the paper to reveal a messy message that seemed to have been scribbled in pencil.

" _Yo Sasuke,You jgot KNO CKED THE FUCK OUT! Team Eight all the way! WHOOOOOOOOO! P.S. My sister doesn't date losers. P.P.S. I wanna beat you up in a spar next. P.P.P.S. Akamaru says you use too much shampoo."_

Sasuke's eyebrow began to twitch again.

"Messing with an opponent after you beat them in a meaningless spar. Shedo has taught them well."

All three Genin turned their attention to Kakashi who was leaning against the door. Sakura frowned as she read the slip of paper.

"Are they mocking us?"

Kakashi chuckled.

"No, they're only jesting, allies do it all the time especially after a good spar. Do you know why you lost Sasuke?"

Sasuke answered.

"Because I'm not powerful enough."

Kakashi frowned.

"The problem is far more serious than that…Hinata wasn't using her Byakugan which meant that the spar should have been easily within your grasp…but you underestimated her and thought there was no way she could have improved so much over a few months…not considering the fact that you were so easily distracted."

Sasuke blushed at the hint behind Kakashi's words as the Jonin walked into the room and spoke.

"All three of you are promising young talents in the shinobi world, but if you don't have the right focus, you will all lose your way quite easily."

"Sasuke, being powerful is something all great shinobi have in their repertoire but if that's all your focused on you'll never see the bigger picture and understand your duty as a shinobi of Konoha. And we both know what happens to someone who goes to any length for power, is that the road you want to take?"

The words struck home as Sasuke lowered his gaze.

Kakashi then focused his gaze at Sakura and then at Sai, both Genin looked at each other before nodding back at their sensei. The elite Jonin returned the nod before he continued his speech.

"When we return to Konoha, I want us to get some serious training done for the next two months, and if you're ready…I'll nominate you for the Chuunin exams."

Sakura gasped in surprise as Sai's eyes barely widened, Sasuke was the one was one who would talk.

"Will Team Eight be there?"

Kakashi nodded and Sasuke grinned as his teammates.

"Let's do it then. Let's show them that Team Seven is the best!"

Sasuke looked down at the paper in his hand smirked. One day soon he would be challenging Hinata to a rematch.

* * *

 **CHAPTER SIX IS DONE! SORRY ABOUT THE ACTION I PROMISED, I HAD TO USE THIS CHAPTER TO SET UP A LOT OF STUFF, SO NEXT TIME! Please continue to support the story with REVIEWS, FAVS AND ALERTS. Let everybody know about it if ya like it. All honest opinions and fair criticisms are accepted.**

 **Peace and Love.**

 **Kolsake was ere.**


	7. Past Foes and Future Friends

**HI PEEPS! Kolsake presents Chapter Seven of Magenta!**

 **Reviews are my ice cream!**

 **Hope you guys are enjoying the summer**

 **I do not own Naruto, but I do own my OCs.**

* * *

Sudoku.

It was without a doubt Riyo's favorite stress reliever.

The game of numbers provided an atmosphere in which she could relax and focus her mental energies. It also served as a good distraction for whenever life had become a bit too much for her to handle all at once, which was basically a description of what she had been through in the past few months.

She had left home with the ambition of making enough money to cover her mother's medical fees. She knew a decent job wouldn't be too hard to find if she looked in the right places, the Land of Fire was one of the largest continents on the planet.

It had only taken a month for her to be hired as a cashier for a bakery in the city of Hiroi. Within a month she was promoted to head cashier as her manager took note of her efficiency.

After two additional months of proving herself as a faithful, hard-working and honest employee, she had been given the chance to earn more money in a new business in a new city but working for the same man who owned the bakery. With her mother's needs in mind she took the opportunity with both hands and went to Kofun to work under Jinoka Hamada at the Akkai-Ga casino.

It was here she would be introduced to Gato and come to realize the character of her chief employer.

Gato was a criminal.

A very rich criminal.

The type that made serious money out of other people's misfortune and destruction.

Drugs? Human trafficking ? Murder?

He did it all and it didn't seem to bother him one bit.

The real reason why a position had opened up at the casino was quite simple. Gato had killed one of his older accountants for embezzling a portion of his profits.

She was duly warned not to repeat his mistake.

She tried to quit, she wanted to quit. But she couldn't.

After Gato took note of her skill, he proposed an agreement that he believed would be as he had stated it… _'' in everyone's best interests.''_

She would continue to work for him and she would be allowed to send a portion of her monthly salary back to her family. However she would have to take on a new identity and never see them again.

Riyo wasn't stupid, she knew not taking this deal with Gato would probably cost her life or even worse put her family in mortal danger. So she did the only thing that made sense.

She shut her mouth and did her job to the best of her ability.

She had spent the little free time she had gotten to explore Kofun, discovering a very nice book store and seeing a few of the town's attractions. The…escorts that Jinoka had assigned to her followed her everywhere which probably made people think that she was some sort of VIP and not an employed prisoner.

She would still consider herself fortunate to only be an accountant. She had heard stories about how Gato treated some of his other _employees_.

Just a few weeks ago Gato had decided that he needed her talents elsewhere and had shipped her off on one of his slave boats to Kiri of all places to get some of his businesses stabilized. She hoped she wouldn't be there for too long. According to what she had read in a newspaper, Kiri's shinobi village was at the climax of some sort of civil war.

 **KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK**

A series of knocks on the door caused a frown to rise on the young woman's face as she turned her head to the only door of her sparsely furnished cabin. Gato had been kind enough to not give her a cold, stinky cell like the rest of the people that were on this ship. Those down in the cargo hold were probably going to be sold as servants or worse…Riyo decided to not think about it too much as the knocks continued.

 **KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK**

"Yes?"

"I brought your supper."

Riyo recognized the voice immediately. It was one of the thugs that had kept watch over her while she was in Kofun, she had not bothered to learn his name.

"I'm not hungry."

The door still swung open as a tall, green haired muscular man stepped inside, a large scowl on his face as he placed a plate of food on the room's only table.

"Gato said that you should be fed proper meals three times a day. I'm not going to end up the like the last guy who messed up his orders."

Riyo rolled her eyes.

"As I said before, I'm not hungry right now. I just want to be left alone."

The green haired man smirked as he made his way out the door.

"Just so you know. Gato gave me permission to discipline you if I believed you were disobeying his orders. The women down in the cargo hold can tell you…I'm very talented when it comes on to _discipline_."

Riyo tried her best to not react to the man's words; it took her a few seconds to calm her trembling heart before she attempted a response.

"I am not disobeying Gato-sama's orders. I will partake of my meal after I am finished. I kindly ask to be left alone."

Riyo then swiveled on her chair so her back was now to the door. Most people who have thought of it as an act of defiance or disrespect. Her true reason for doing it was so the man could not see the tears that were beginning to gather in the corners of her eyes. The green haired man probably figured as much, based on the cockiness that echoed in his words.

"That's more like it. Just do as you're told and you'll be…"

Several moments of tense silence passed.

The door to Riyo's room was still opened, but her guard had stopped talking.

Had he walked away?

Was he still watching her?

Staring at her with those sadistic eyes?

None of her guesses were right. Her eyes bugged out as a new masculine voice echoed in the room.

"Riyo Awabe?"

Riyo slowly turned around to face the owner of this new voice.

Who was this man?

How did this man know her real name?

Her mouth fell open at the sight of her guard; face down in a pool of what she believed to be his blood.

"Is..is he ?"

"Dead? Yes. I'm not sure he would have allowed you to leave your room otherwise."

Riyo stood up from her chair and slowly backed away from the strange cloaked individual.

"W-w-w-who are you?"

"My name is Shedo. A shinobi from Konoha, my team was contracted by your family to bring you home. Never thought I'd have this much trouble though."

Riyo shook her head in disbelief.

"I don't believe you. My mother is way too sick to travel to Konoha and my sister would never leave her alone."

Shedo nodded as he stepped forward pulling back his black cloak and revealing his masked face to Riyo.

"Arata Hishomiji."

Riyo blinked a few times. A faint blush made its way to her cheeks.

"How do you-?"

"Know the name of the guy that you've been crushing on since you were ten? Your sister told us. She knew you wouldn't be easily convinced, so she told us things only a member of the family would know. I have several other embarrassing secrets I could share, like that time when you decided to bake a birthday cake for Arata and-"

Riyo's face now resembled a cherry.

"STOP! That's enough. I believe you. Of all the things she could have told you guys…"

A somber expression slowly donned Riyo's face.

"Is my mother…?"

"She made a full recovery. I suspect Gato might have collected those letters and destroyed them before you got a chance to read them. Your family is waiting for you in Konoha; let's not keep them waiting any longer."

Riyo couldn't hold back the tears this time as she fell to her knees, there was a part of her that wanted to think that this must have been some sort of dream or nightmare, but it wasn't. Her mother was alright…and she was finally going to be free of Gato.

"…Riyo."

Riyo blinked in surprise as the cloaked stranger who identified himself as Shedo know stood beside her with a hand on her shoulder.

"I know this is a lot to process right now. We really need to start moving. I don't intend for us to be on this boat when we enter foreign waters."

Riyo nodded in understanding as she got up and put a few important possessions into a knapsack.

"How much people can your boat hold? There are other people being kept against their will on this ship."

"I changed the course of the ship to head directly to one of Kumo's main ports. I'm sure the coast guard will ensure the safety of everyone aboard."

Riyo nodded again as she followed Shedo out of her room, trying her best to ignore the corpses that lined the ship's tiny hallways. Gato's thugs were some of the worst people she had ever come across, the world would be a much better place without people like them.

Riyo sighed happily as she stepped up on to the deck. The fresh sea breeze washed over her frame with its gentle caress. It was a much welcomed sensation after being locked away in that ship's stuffy little cabin.

The stars twinkled all over the canvas known as the night sky but Riyo had no time to truly appreciate its beauty as her eyes were more focused on following her masked rescuer's actions…

Why was he stooping down in front of her as if he was inviting her to enjoy a piggyback ride?

"Climb on."

Riyo's eyes narrowed.

"You want me to what? Is this the only way to get to your boat?"

"There is no boat. I ran across the water to get here. It might take us a little longer with you on my back but I promise we will be back on the mainland tomorrow."

Riyo frowned in disbelief, she had heard many tales of what shinobi were capable of with their techniques but running across an entire ocean did sound a little bit too farfetched. To be fair though this man had rescued her, the least she could do was put some trust into him…right?

Riyo slowly climbed unto the masked man's back and wrapped her hands around his neck. Shedo slowly stood up and readjusted his balance.

"Hold on tight and keep your head down."

Whatever sarcastic comment Riyo was about to respond with stayed buried in her throat as Shedo leaped over the ship's railing and right into the ocean's cold murky depths…or at least that is what Riyo thought would happen.

Riyo slowly opened her eyes when she realized that she was neither submerged nor drowning. What she saw however had her unbelievably captivated.

The masked man knows as Shedo was _literally_ running across the water at an amazing speed, he was probably going as fast as or even faster than a regular motorboat.

"Whoa…ninjas are so cool."

"My "coolness" comes with a price. It's absolute killer on my legs, I'm probably going to be a little numb once we get to land."

Riyo wasn't sure of how to respond to that so she simply rested her chin on Shedo's shoulder and tried her best to enjoy the ride…

"What if I have to use the bathroom?"

"The closest island is six hours way."

"What if I can't hold it that long?"

"I could always leave you in the water with the sharks."

"I can wait."

Shedo smirked.

"Thought so."

* * *

 **The next morning**

The early morning sun was just beginning to peek out from behind the distant mountains. The citizens of Wave and the wildlife that inhabited their forest were slowly stirring to life as a new day had just begun for them.

However…

Kakashi Hatake's day was already in full swing.

The elite Jonin had woken up extra early to go through some of his fitness routines from his Anbu days. After a few hours of practicing his forms he found himself mentally smiling with satisfaction. His injuries were gone, his muscles and joints were all responding in the right ways, his chakra pools were fully restored and his control felt sharp.

He was ready to face Zabuza again.

The silver haired Icha Icha lover did a few stretches to relax his body and conclude his fitness session before turning his gaze to a random grouping of trees behind him.

"Anything to report, Kiba?"

The brown haired Genin in question slowly stepped out from behind one of the larger trees, a small grin marking his facial features.

"Nothing of real interest Kakashi-sensei. Seeing you training was probably the highlight of my watch."

Kakashi nodded as he re-covered his now empty water bottle which caused Kiba to narrow his eyes. The Inuzuka male had not noticed when Kakashi had moved his mask to rehydrate.

"You should go back and get a few hours of sleep. The early morning watch is always one of the most draining ones."

Kiba muffled a yawn as he nodded.

"You make a good point, sensei."

"But before you leave…"

"Hmm?"

Kakashi's eye sparked with mischief.

"Tell me more about this _"hot older girl"_ that you've been meeting up with ever so often."

Kiba's face began to slowly turn a light shade of red.

"How do you even…?"

"I eavesdrop on every conversation that happens in the house, for safety reasons of course. I heard you boasting about your _"skills"_ to Kiba while you two were getting ready for bed the other night."

Kiba opened his mouth to say something but thought it best to keep quiet and not dig his grave any further.

"Oh? The silent treatment? I only ask because I care, Kiba-kun. I might have to give a report to Tsume and Hana when we get back to Konoha."

A small smile crossed Kakashi's face as Kiba's cheeks went from faint red to ghostly white.

"This is payback for me teasing your team all the time, isn't it?"

Kakashi eye smiled as he pat Kiba on the back.

"I'm just a mother hen protecting her precious little chicks. Causalities of war should be expected."

* * *

 **At the same time**

"SWEET! BEAUTIFUL! LAND! THANK KAMI FOR HIS BLESSINGS!"

Shedo grunted as the excited Riyo hopped off his back and ran into the canopy of trees that the small island had to offer.

The masked shinobi called out to the one in his custody.

"Be careful some of these bushes irritate the skin and I have no intention of carrying an itchy mass of flesh on my back!"

A response thundered out of the bushes.

"WILL YOU SHUT UP SO I CAN FIND A PLACE TO PEE IN PEACE?"

Shedo decided to appease his charge as he took advantage of the short reprieve that his body had been granted.

He gingerly rubbed his legs and things. He was definitely going to be feeling numb for at least another day after all of his running was over. Next time he was just going to seal a damn boat in one of his scrolls and…

The tip of an average sized katana covered in Shedo's blood was now poking out of the front of his cloak. The masked shinobi slowly turned his head to mark the appearance of his attacker. His masked assailant was wearing a modified set of Kiri's hunter-nin armor.

"I'm pretty sure from your armor that you belong to some kind of elite unit. This island isn't under Kiri's jurisdiction… so what's your reason for being here? And did you know that it is rude to poke random people with your katana?"

The masked assailant spoke evenly but within his statement there was no direct response to Shedo's enquiry.

"No need to put on false pretenses. We followed your team to this island. Tell me the location of Mei Terumi and I'll make your death quick."

Shedo sighed heavily as he looked down.

"I would tell you that I'm not one of the people that you're looking for but I'm sure the pretty lady sneaking up behind you would love to confirm that for me."

The hunter nin prepared a sarcastic retort but never got the chance to voice it as small smooth hands quickly wrapped around his head…and snapped his neck. Shedo slowly turned around to face the auburn haired woman who was now unmasking his attacker. He was an average looking black haired man. A sigh of regret escaped the woman's lips.

"One less man in the world…such a shame."

Shedo tilted his head.

"Well…you are the one that killed him."

The woman shrugged.

"Detail…Details."

Shedo watched with interest as the woman breathed out a small cloud of mist that was slowly melting the man's corpse.

With that out of the way she then shifted her attention to him.

"…Not going to take care of your wound? You might bleed out."

Even though the hunter-nin was dead his katana was still very much lodged inside Shedo's body, the masked shinobi looked down at the sword and shrugged.

"What wound?"

Mei's eyes widened as she realized that the answer she had received did not come from the man in front of her, years of being on the run and surviving ambushes had triggered a suitable reaction.

In one quick turn Mei jumped sideways to her left once again re-acquainting her gaze with the masked man who was now standing in a different spot not too far behind her. She spared a glance to where the original man had stood but all that was left was the katana lying in a puddle of water.

" _A water clone? He sustained a water clone after it had received serious damage ?Not many people can pull something like that off. Who is he?"_

Mei frowned before speaking.

"Why did you follow us here?"

"I didn't. I'm on my way to my own destination. My client needed a break so we stopped off at this island."

Mei looked along the shore for only a brief second.

"Where's your boat?"

"I never said we had a boat."

Mei's eye narrowed.

"Then how did you get here?"

"Well…I ran."

Mei blinked and looked at the man's legs.

Shedo folded his arms.

"My mask is up here, ma'am!"

Mei responded to Shedo with the most skeptical look she had in her facial vocabulary.

"You expect me to believe that you ran across the ocean?"

To be fair Mei knew that it wasn't impossible for it to be true but she also knew that no one short of Kage level could reproduce such a feat that simply.

"Whether you choose to believe me or not is up to you. I'll be getting my client and we'll be leaving you and your friend to deal with the other six hunter-nin nearby."

Mei frowned.

"How do you know that there's six of them left?"

Mei could not see behind the man's mask but she had a gut feeling that he was grinning,

"Let's call it a hunch."

A voice sounded from behind Shedo.

"He has pockets of his chakra dispersed all around the island acting as some type of sensory system. He probably knows the exact location of every living creature. The sheer quantity of chakra and level of control needed for such a technique is in the arena of the absurd. My sensory skills have been terribly distorted by his technique."

Shedo sighed angrily at the man that who was now standing a good distance behind him.

"It's not nice to reveal the tricks behind people's techniques like that, Mr.i-stole-A-Byakugan."

Ao frowned at the teasing nickname as he addressed his superior.

"Mei-sama, I would advise against fighting this man. It would be rather difficult for us not to mention the fact that we would probably draw the attention of the hunter-nin."

"Plus, I have no reason to fight you guys."

Shedo offered Mei a small bow of respect.

"This was fun and all but I have a mission to finish, toodles!"

 **Splash !**

Both Kiri natives blinked in surprise as the Shedo in front of them dissolved into another puddle of water.

Mei took a deep breath and scratched her face.

Why did she feel like she had just dealt with an annoying younger brother?

"Are you unharmed Mei-sama?"

Mei nodded.

"I'm fine. Our comrades sacrificed themselves so we could escape from these guys. Let's not waste their dedication to our cause. We need to get somewhere safe and try to establish contact with the others."

Unfortunately it was too late for that.

"Mei Terumi and Ao Senbi!"

Shit.

* * *

Haku's fingers carefully traced the red lines that decorated her fake hunter-nin mask but instead of the curved thin lines her imagination could only visualize _red triangles_.

"Haku!"

The female ice user almost fell of the tree stump that she had been sitting on in fright; a strange flurry of words escaped her lips.

"TheonlyreasonIkeepcomingbackistoseeyourcutepuppyIswear!" **(Author's note: For those who can't honestly make it out, Haku said: The only reason I keep coming back is to see your cute puppy I swear)**

"…What?"

Haku somehow managed to go pale and blush at the same time as her adopted father figure narrowed his eyes at her.

"I don't know what's been going on with you for the past few days but I need you to be focused for the mission Haku."

Those words were enough for her to get into gear.

Slowly the eyes of a teenage girl became the emotionless gaze of a trained killer.

"Yes, Zabuza-sama."

Zabuza nodded.

"Good. You've done a pretty decent of patching me up but I can still feel that I'm not at my best. I doubt that damn monkey Kakashi is much better off. We kill the bridge builder today. Gato's thugs will separate into three different groups and cause havoc all over the town while we take on Kakashi and those brats. Those tree huggers will be too distracted by their obligations to the bridge builder and his little town to focus on us."

Haku nodded.

"Gato has ensured us that we will be paid in full once Tazuna is eliminated. Do you already have intentions for where we will be going next?"

Zabuza who was inspecting his Kubikiribocho had a small smile on his face.

"A contact of mine says that the Land of Rice has been paying top dollar for high class mercenaries. It sounds a little fishy but with the amount of money involved I think it's worth a look. One thing I know for sure is I have no intention of working with this slime ball much longer."

Haku mentally agreed, Gato wasn't someone she wanted to be working for much longer either, but they needed the money. She would put up with the wealthy man's leers and comments for just a little while longer.

She wouldn't mention them to her adoptive father though. They had lost their last job when their employer suggested to Zabuza that he should allow Haku to _serve_ him while Zabuza carried out his mission.

Zabuza **did not** react kindly.

They lost a job .

The employer lost… _something else_.

"Haku."

This time her name being called didn't frighten the young lady as her eyes met Zabuza's.

"Start getting ready. We have a strategy meeting soon."

Haku nodded as she carefully slipped her mask over her face, her voice mechanical and firm, a reminder of her duty at Zabuza's side.

"Yes Zabuza-sama."

However in the deep reaches of her mind, she couldn't help but hope that a certain boy and his dog partner would not end up fighting them and would survive today's encounter.

* * *

Mei cursed quietly as she spun on her heel. All six of the hunter-nin slowly stepped out from different spots in the forest, each with their own weapon drawn.

It was the same squad that had been chasing them for the past two days all across the ocean. She assumed that they must have been some kind of special squad put together to hunt down the leaders of the rebellion.

Mei's eyes slowly picked out the position of each opponent as Ao pulled out his own katana. She was very confident in her abilities a shinobi but that didn't mean she was stupid. She knew she could only comfortably take on two or three of them at a time and even though Ao was in no way a slouch, his specialty was surveillance not combat. It would be unreasonable to ask him to take on the other three by himself.

"You are both believed to be guilty of treason against the Yondaime Mizukage and the government of Kirikagure. We have eliminated the other members of your team but we will give you one chance to lay down your arms and surrender yourselves into our custody for questioning concerning the disappearance of the Mizukage."

Mei replied with a bitter smile.

"And then what? Have us executed in the village square for all of your murderous companions to see and applaud? Thanks for the offer but no thanks."

The senior hunter-nin grunted.

"Do not be foolish girl. This silly little rebellion will fall; the bloodline purge will be completed. Do not draw out this conflict any longer. Too many innocents have been caught in the crossfire."

Mei growled.

"And what about the bloodline users? Aren't they innocent?"

"Ask the people that suffered during the Kaguya clan's attacks. Ask the shinobi that live in wheelchairs and hospitals because of what those freaks did to their own countrymen. Bloodline users are a virus."

"You guys do remember that your Nidaime was a bloodline user right?"

All eight shinobi present turned their attention to see Shedo standing on the water; a nervous looking blonde was holding on to his back. Both Mei and Ao recognized him; the hunter-nin did not.

The leader spoke fiercely.

"Identify yourself shinobi."

Shedo nonchalantly responded as he strolled over to Mei and Ao allowing Riyo to crawl off his back at the same time.

"That's not important right now, -nin."

The answer was not only enough to slightly agitate the leader but also the rest of his squad.

"Let me inform you of your situation, shinobi. You are interfering with the capture of two of Kiri's most vicious criminals. Leave now or you and that young lady will be considered hostile opponents."

Riyo gulped.

"Hostile? Me? Look at me?! I'm an ACCOUNTANT! I WORK WITH NUMBERS! He's the damn super ninja, Shedo! Fight him!"

Shedo groaned loudly as he reached under his mask to massage his temples.

"I _was_ trying my best to not let them find out my name you know."

Riyo lowered his gaze.

"I'm sorry. I get chatty when I panic."

Shedo nodded.

"So I've noticed….Oh hey you two, I thought you guys were just ordinary criminals but you're both members of the bloodline rebellion forces aren't ya? How's Tomaki doing?"

Mei's eyes widened for a few seconds before she answered.

"You knew Tomaki?"

She had that gut feeling that Shedo was grinning again.

"He did me a really big favor a long time ago, never got to say thank you properly."

Mei's countenance slowly fell.

"I'm sorry. Tomaki was killed three months ago. I have been chosen as the new leader of the rebellion."

Shedo stood in silence for a few seconds.

"I see…well I guess the best 'Thank You' I can give him is to help you guys out."

Ao frowned.

"Don't be ridiculous, we're already outnumbered. You've only come to forfeit the lives of yourself and that girl."

Riyo squeaked again.

Shedo merely gave Ao a 'thumbs up' as he turned his attention back to the hunter-nin squad who had grown more agitated from being ignored.

"Don't you worry your pretty little stolen doujutsu. We'll make it out of this alive."

"…Shedo…is that really your name shinobi? Are you the same Shedo that hails from Konoha?"

Shedo cautiously leaned forward as the leader of the hunter-nin squad seemed to be shaking with rage.

"I'm sorry do I know you? Did I promise to kill you and forgot to come back? That happens quite often."

The leader slowly removed his mask to reveal a heavily scarred face; several patches of his face were a deeper red than the others.

"I'm the one who made a promise to kill you, you little bastard."

Mei instantly recognized the man as Kizato Insho, a senior Jonin who had come out of retirement to serve as one of Yagura's advisors during the earlier phases of the bloodline purges , there was no doubt that this was still very strong if he was leading a special squad. The slender green eyed woman glanced over at her new ally.

"What did you to do to get on his shit list?"

Everyone present could literally feel the mirth dripping of Shedo's voice as he replied with a hearty laugh.

"I'm the one who gave him all those beauty marks. Let's see if I can't improve on my work."

The leader growled out his orders without hesitance.

" **Kill them all! Spare no one!"**

All six hunter-nin rushed forward as they threw several waves of shuriken, kunai and senbon. Mei and Ao were already jumping backwards, racing through hand signs for a proper defensive water style jutsu when they noticed something strange.

Shedo had not moved.

Mei and Ao both screamed out to their ally but to no avail as the waves of ninja tools… completely missed their targets, a few of them even fell to the ground in front and beside Shedo's motionless frame.

The hunter-nin themselves who were just as surprised didn't break their momentum as they drew closer to Shedo himself…

Closer

Closer

Closer

Closer

… **close enough**

Shedo quickly made four hand signs as the hunter-nin came within striking distance.

Ao's jaw became slack when his Byakugan transmitted one of the most horrifying images his brain had ever seen.

The air itself rippled and compressed itself around the bodies of all six hunter-nin as Shedo finally spoke.

His soft voice seemed to echo all over the island.

"Wind style: Final Aeolian Circus."

The hunter-nin didn't get to scream.

* * *

 **Several hours later**

Tazuna now had an idea of what his daughter's favorite celebrities felt like when they went out in public. He was being guarded on all four sides by _two_ different teams of shinobi; better yet he had the services of two different teams when he had only hired _one_.

He _dared_ that rich creep Gato to send that eyebrow-less freak after him again. He had an extra team watching his back and quantity always wins…right?

He shook off his doubts as he started to go through a mental checklist of what would be needed to put the finishing touches on the bridge.

 _We might have to buy more cement to finish that last column._

 _We can also use those extra steel beams to reinforce the deck and handrails…hmmm._

There was something off but he couldn't put his finger…oh wait…

"Hey…isn't one of you missing?"

Kakashi, who was the closest to Tazuna answered without even sparing a glance, most of his concentration being paid to the orange book in his hands.

"Kiba did the early morning watch and helped me with some…psychological training this morning. He deserves a few more hours of sleep."

Tazuna nodded in understanding, it was all in the name of keeping his family safe so he greatly appreciated it.

"I know I don't say this often enough. But I really appreciate what you guys have done for me and my town. Even Inari seems to have re-found some hope after all of your brats talked with him."

Kakashi eye-smiled.

"You can consider this our all in one package, but don't worry, a lot of our services won't show up on the bill."

Tazuna gulped.

"Bill?"

"Of course. You misinformed us, risked our lives on at least two separate occasions and have prolonged our contract to guard you while facing against some very powerful enemies; this should at least bump it up to an A-rank."

Tazuna's face paled. He really hoped that the bridge brought in revenue fast or he would have to pay the pied piper the hard way.

"Kakashi-sensei, we have a problem."

The words were enough to break Tazuna out of his train of thought as he listened in. It was the pearly eyed girl that had gone ahead of them. Kakashi's book was already put away as the entire team drew close.

"What's the situation?"

Hinata spoke first.

"I was scouting ahead when I noticed two different groups of thugs, numbering around fifteen each heading for the town's north and east entrances, they were heavily armed. They are more than likely on their way to cause mayhem."

Tazuna frowned deeply.

"Gato…that bastard…"

Kakashi ignored the bridge builder's remark as he spoke.

"How strong are they?"

"There chakra coils are underdeveloped, they are just ordinary thugs."

Kakashi nodded.

"Very well. Shino. Sai. Do you think you guys could handle both groups on your own?"

The pale teenager nodded as he pulled out his scroll and created a medium sized flying bird. The artist shinobi offered the Aburame his customary plastic ride.

"May I interest you in a lift, Shino-kun?"

Shino stared at Sai for a few seconds before climbing on the bird's back. Both Genin nodded at Kakashi before Sai's bird took off at full speed zooming over the tree line. Kakashi looked back at the remaining Genin and frowned.

"If Zabuza and his partner are waiting for us ahead on the bridge, we might need Kiba."

Sakura stepped forward immeditaely.

"I'll go get him sensei."

Kakashi's gaze softened just a bit.

"Are you sure Sakura? There could be more of Gato's thugs around."

"I'm a shinobi of Konoha. They won't know what him them."

Kakashi may have not smiled but he did feel teacherly pride.

"I see. You and Kiba should hurry back, we will continue on to the bridge."

The pinkette nodded as she took off full speed towards Tazuna's home.

Kakashi turned to Sasuke and Hinata and nodded.

"It's just the three of us for now. But I'm sure we can do this."

Both Genin nodded with real conviction as Kakashi turned his gaze to Tazuna.

"I'm going to have to ask you to come with us Tazuna; I'm sure if we show up without you Zabuza might leave and cause trouble elsewhere."

Tazuna steeled his resolve and spoke.

"I agree with you. Let's put an end to this once and for all."

* * *

"…You're still alive aren't you?"

Two bloodshot eyes slowly opened to once again behold the masked face of a man that Kizato had come to regard as his most annoying enemy. Every single pain receptor in his body flared out angrily as he tried to move.

The masked man known as Shedo simply shook his head.

"It's no use old man. Your muscles and bones are basically chunky mush right now. It's a miracle that you're not dead…but you will be soon...took us a few hours to find the bodies of your comrades..."

Kizato could feel it. He knew it was true. He used the last of his strength to speak.

"Saw…your attack…couldn't…dodge…flared….cha…kra.."

Shedo nodded.

"That's one of the few ways to defend against my technique but you would have to have a decent sized chakra pool and the right timing. Just maybe if you were a few seconds quicker."

Kizato grunted as he blinked.

"Jus….may….be"

"Before you die, I want to thank you. It's because of you that I resolved within myself to become the monster that I am today. I thought I would never forgive you for killing her but what sense does it make to hold grudges with the dead; am I right?"

Kizato took a few deep ragged breaths.

"Fuck…off…blondie."

Shedo chuckled as he walked away from the bleeding battered body of Kizato Insho.

After a quick sprint, Shedo found himself aboard Mei's motorboat on the other side of the island. Riyo quietly sat in the corner watching the three of them intensely as both Mei and Ao regarded Shedo with their most inquisitive glares.

The masked man relaxed his posture.

"Yes? Can I help you guys with anything? Fashion tips? Dating advice?-"

Mei cut him off.

"Why did you help us?"

"I told you, I owed Tomaki a big favor. Just doing what I can to pay him back."

Mei bit her lip before speaking again.

"Well if that's the case there is something else the rebellion needs help. We need to find a man named Gato."

Riyo squeaked again.

Mei graced the girl with a glance before continuing.

"I take it you already know of him."

Shedo nodded.

"We do. Little Miss Squeaky over there used to work for him. What do you want Gato for?"

"We want him to sponsor the rebellion."

Shedo sighed.

"The situation is that bad in Kiri huh…you know he's one of the worst guys on the planet, right?"

Ao responded.

"We know, but the village of Kiri may not last much longer if we do not end this internal strife. Gato's money would help us greatly."

"He won't help you."

All three shinobi turned their gaze to Riyo. Mei was the one who spoke on their behalf.

"What?"

"Gato, won't help you. He recently struck a deal with Kiri's council for a lot of exclusive shipping contracts in exchange for some funding."

Mei growled in frustration as Ao spoke.

"It seems we are in a more dreadful situation that we thought."

"Not necessarily."

Three different pairs of eyes were now focused on Shedo. The masked man continued his line of reasoning with a question.

"Riyo…do you know all of Gato's accounts that can be accessed in Fire Country?"

Riyo smirked.

"They're all memorized in my head."

Shedo then turned to Mei.

"Mei Terumi! I would like to hire you for a very important mission. But first we have to get to the Land of Waves where Gato is waiting."

Mei smirked as she turned to Ao.

"Ao-san, please set a course for the Land of Waves. The bloodline rebellion has a donation to collect."

* * *

 **SEVEN IS FINISHED! THE BIG FIGHTS ARE COMING NEXT! PLACE YOUR BETS! WHO WILL DIE? WHO WILL SURVIVE? Please continue to support the story with REVIEWS, FAVS AND ALERTS. Let everybody know about it if ya like it. All honest opinions and fair criticisms are accepted.**

 **Peace and Love.**

 **Kolsake was ere.**


	8. The Bridge

**HELLO EVERYONE!**

 **Kolsake presents Chapter EIGHT of Magenta!**

 **This didn't take too long .** **.** **.** **right.** **?** **.** **.** **.** **Please don't hurt me.** **.** **.**

 **But seriously guys, school is rough and I have to be borrowing laptops to get this done.** **.** **.** **but anyways .** **.** **.** **on to the story!** **!** **!**

 **I do not own Naruto, but I do own my OCs.**

 **Please read, review, fav, share and spread this story.**

 **I'll try to update more regularly. I promise .**

* * *

Four of Gato's thugs marched hastily along the winding dirt path that would lead them to the home of the bridge builder, Tazuna. Each man was outfitted with cheap armor and a weapon of his own choosing. No words escaped their lips but the cruel smiles that donned their faces were enough to give an idea of exactly what they were planning to do.

Nothing. Good.

Their forward march came to a complete halt when they caught sight of a man stepping out of the forest's dense foliage. They recognized him instantly and knew that from the annoyed look on his face their very lives depended on the conversation that would follow.

"Where the hell are you punks going?"

The four non-descript men exchanged glances between each other before one spoke.

"We were going to see if those other two guys need any help with kidnapping the bridge builder's family."

The figure didn't seem convinced as he stepped forward, his gruff tone easily conveying his annoyance.

"Needing any help? It's just a woman and her son. How much trouble could they be? Why don't you tell me the truth or will I have to…?"

His hand slowly reached for the giant sword on his back. All four stepped back, their apparent fear leaking out of every single pore.

"We…uh…heard that the bridge builder had a daughter…a pretty one. . . nothing wrong with having fun before we rip this little town apart."

The man growled before turning his back to the men.

"Go find your "fun" somewhere in the town. The townspeople are more than likely going to offer some resistance so your services might be needed there more than with the bridge builder's "pretty daughter"."

Another of the four thugs spoke up.

"Why are you here anyways, Zabuza? Aren't you supposed to be fighting those ninja on the bridge?"

Zabuza laughed.

"I already dealt with those pathetic weaklings but the damn bridge builder got away. I'm going to use his family as bait and I don't need you guys tagging along and causing me any trouble…so either you leave with all your body parts intact or you don't."

Zabuza did not have to reach for his sword the second time as the thugs quickly ran off in the direction of the town. The mist ninja's eyes watched them carefully as they soon disappeared along the path.

A few seconds passed before "Zabuza" slowly breathed out a sigh of relief and wiped his brow before he was enveloped within a cloud of smoke leaving behind a pink haired female teenager.

Sakura smirked confidently as she quickly started her own journey to Tazuna's home. The ruse to disguise herself as Zabuza had worked pretty nicely so far, she had now managed to convince three different smaller groups of thugs to abandon their own self-ordained "missions" and to head to the town where they would be "needed".

Of course this meant that both Shino and Sai would have more of the thugs to deal with but she trusted that the both of them could handle it. She was sure Sai was much stronger than he let on and Team Eight didn't seem to have any members that would lose to some average thugs.

The pinkette from Team Seven grimaced as she called tried to channel some chakra into her legs to boost her running speed, her coils were almost empty. Using and sustaining the Henge jutsu on three different occasions had been really taxing.

Doing the tree climbing exercise this week had shown her that she was nowhere near where an acceptable Genin level kunoichi should be.

She had promised herself and Kakashi-sensei she would improve but for now…

Sakura took a small blue pill out of her side pocket and popped it into her mouth; a sour expression crossed her features as she took a shortcut through the forest to see if she could intercept the earlier mentioned duo which had been sent to kidnap Tsunami and Inari.

"Kiba was right; these chakra pills do taste like shit."

* * *

Kakashi spoke softly to those behind him as he they walked unto the mist-covered bridge. Hinata had already confirmed that both Zabuza and his partner were coming towards them at a leisurely pace.

"I'm going to engage Zabuza just as we planned. Just keep that fake hunter-nin off my back and most importantly, keep Tazuna alive along with your own selves."

Sasuke and Hinata spared each other a nod of understanding as Tazuna pointed to a specific spot on the bridge.

"Oh no…are they?"

Hinata immediately understood his question, her Byakugan had noticed the bodies of the workers scattered along the length of the bridge.

"Most of your crew members are alive, Tazuna-san. They're merely unconscious."

Tazuna nodded but both Kakashi and Sasuke tightened their muscles at the word 'most'.

The gruff voice of Zabuza Momochi rang out from in the midst of the blinding mist.

"Glad to see you on your feet, Copycat Kakashi."

The silver haired Jonin didn't hesitate to reveal his Sharingan as Zabuza and his masked partner stepped out of the mist. The ex-Kiri shinobi spoke again.

"I suppose it's too late to ask you to hand over the old man in exchange for your own lives?"

Kakashi stepped forward pulling out a pair of kunai.

"Not a chance."

Zabuza grunted happily as he pulled his massive sword off his back.

"Good. Because I've been dying for a rematch, I hope those two brats of yours are strong Kakashi or they won't stand a chance against my friend here…"

Zabuza paused a moment as he took a few seconds to look over Hinata.

"She's a new one…got yourself some back up huh? And she's a Hyuuga too? Interesting, seems like you just might have a challenge, Haku."

The masked shinobi nodded as he stepped to the side allowing Kakashi and Zabuza more space. The sword-wielding Jonin flared his killing intent, Sasuke fidgeted a bit but Hinata kept her gaze locked on Haku.

"Let's give our younger companions some room Kakashi and take our fight elsewhere. Let's see how helpful that eye of yours is in my densest mist!"

In a flash Zabuza and Kakashi disappeared, a few tense seconds passed as the sound of metal meeting metal echoed through the mist along with the occasional taunt from either Jonin.

The masked shinobi slowly pulled a few senbon needles out of her sleeves.

"Please. If you hand over the bridge builder right now, I will ensure your safety. I do not wish to kill you. I am only following Zabuza-sama's orders."

Sasuke quickly pulled out his own pair of kunai.

"Sorry but our mission is to keep the bridge builder alive. So I guess you'll have to do your worse."

Haku stayed motionless for just another fleeting moment before exploding into a literal whirlwind of movement, Sasuke grinned before racing forward to meet the fake hunter head-on.

 **CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!**

Neither senbon needle nor kunai relented as both weapons continued their metallic dance at the will of their respective users. Agility and reflexes would prove to be everything in this confrontation; soon the metallic dance grew into a storm of punches and kicks. Neither participant could claim the upper hand as each move was perfectly countered by their respective opponent.

 **CLANG!**

Another moment of deadlock as kunai met senbon again; both teenagers pushed against each other neither willing to give up an inch of ground. Haku's relaxed tone was enough to put Sasuke on guard.

"You have proven yourself as a decent Genin…but you won't be able to keep up with my speed."

Sasuke smirked.

"I've been doing a good job of keeping up with you so far."

"Then why do I have you where I want you?"

Before Sasuke could rebut or even seek further understanding, Haku's free hand sprang to life with hand signs as her chakra flared and sharpened. Hinata's voice quickly jolted Sasuke out of his state of amazement.

"Sasuke! The water!"

Sasuke cursed as he noticed the puddles of water that surrounded him. He had been silly to not consider the chances of this guy being proficient in water techniques just like Zabuza!

Haku spoke with conviction as she slapped her sandaled foot on to the ground causing several puddles to slowly rise up into the air.

"A thousand needles of death!"

The aforementioned puddles of water shrunk, hardened and sharpened into ice needles before crashing violently into the spot where Sasuke had stood. Haku eyes narrowed behind her mask as she watched the epicenter of her technique, to her own shock and disappointment there was no sign that her opponent had been caught.

"Just so you know…"

Haku's eyes widened as she spun around just in time to dodge the kunai that had been thrown from behind her.

"…I've been holding back too."

A grunt of pain escaped Haku's lips as Sasuke's boot made noticeable contact with her face; the force of the attack was enough to send Haku sliding across the bridge's wet floor.

Sasuke's smug expression doubled as he watched Haku slowly stand to her feet.

"This is what means to stand against a Uchiha! From now on you will need to be dodging my attacks!"

Haku breathed out slowly before responding.

"Is that so? It is unfortunate that I have to use this technique against you. Let us see if you can keep up with my true speed."

Hinata's muscles tensed as she watched the masked shinobi's chakra swirl and expand into several tendrils that stretched out into the air around them. Whatever technique this was, she was sure it was a powerful one.

"Stay on your guard, Sasuke!"

Sasuke involuntarily shivered as the temperature began to drop. His eyes stayed focused on Haku as her hands blurred through another set of handsigns.

"Sasuke! Behind you!"

Sasuke had misinterpreted Hinata's warning as a declaration of where the masked shinobi would be attacking from, this was not the case. When he spun around in an attempt to counter whatever attack his opponent had in mind he found himself face to face with a wall of rectangular shaped pieces of ice, he caught a glimpse of his own reflection.

"What? A mirror?"

Sasuke turned back in time to see Haku literally phasing into one of the ice mirrors that now surrounded him. What seemed to be Haku's reflection began to be displayed in each mirror as her calm voice echoed within the dome.

 **" Hidden Art! Crystal Ice Mirrors!"**

* * *

Tsunami grunted in pain as one of her captors tightened the ropes that held her arms stiff behind her back. His eye-patch wearing partner smirked as he looked down at her.

"Excuse the rough treatment but our employer wishes to have an audience with you. Don't do anything stupid and you won't be hurt too badly. "

The one who had been securing her bonds spoke as he dragged her from of the porch.

"Isn't there supposed to be a little kid too?"

Mr. Eye-patch shrugged.

"Who cares? The bastard's daughter should be a good enough bargaining chip. Now let's get out of here before any of those pesky Konoha ninja show up. "

"Don't fret your little mercenary heads off; those clowns won't be bothering us anytime soon."

Both bandits took a cautionary backward step as a figure emerged from the mouth of the forest path. The thug that had tied up Tsunami frowned.

"Zabuza? What are you doing here? Did something go wrong at the bridge? "

Zabuza folded his arms across his chest.

"Not at all, I slaughtered those weaklings easily! But the damn bridge builder got away and I need his daughter to lure the little coward out of hiding. Hand her over."

Mr. Eye-Patch allowed his eye to roam over Zabuza's frame.

"I thought that your opponent was one of Konoha's best Jonin ? "

Zabuza growled.

"What's your point?"

"The last time you fought that guy you were in bed for a week, but now you've defeated him and you don't have a scratch on you? Seems weird. "

"He underestimated me and I made sure to thank him by chopping his head off. What is weird is that I ordered you two to hand over Tsunami and you haven't done it yet."

A few seconds of silence passed as both bandits glanced at each other before assuming fighting stances; both fighters had fingertips tracing the hilts on their respective katana.

Zabuza narrowed his eyes.

"What are you idiots doing? Are you that excited to die by my hand? "

Mr. Eye-Patch growled out an answer.

"You're not Zabuza…we're sure of it. Showing up here unscathed is one thing but I'm damn well sure that Zabuza never took any interest in the bridge builder's daughter much less to know her name. If you come any closer we'll kill this girl."

Sakura swore mentally as she racked her brain for solutions, her ruse had been discovered and it had put Tsunami in far more danger.

She would have to fight.

She would drop her Henge and use the smoke as cover to throw a few kunai and shuriken. Her timing and aim would have to be perfect as to make sure Tsunami would not be harmed. She took a deep breath as she prepared to release her technique, fingers shaking as they slowly inched towards her kunai holster.

She was going to do it on three.

One-

An explosion of smoke caught her and the mercenaries completely by surprise.

* * *

The real Zabuza groaned in pain as a well-placed kick to the chest had managed to knock him off balance. It was only experience from years of fighting and raw adrenaline coursing through his veins that would allow him to dodge Kakashi's follow up attacks before launching into a Taijutsu combo of his own.

Kakashi didn't have much trouble evading his attacks.

The Ex-Kiri Jonin, took the moment to catch his breath as his opponent created space between them. He was losing this fight, despite nicking Kakashi a few times with his sword he had not landed any decisive blows while the silver haired Jonin had managed to reopen some of the wounds he had sustained from their previous fight.

He needed an opportunity and he needed it now. A surge of familiar chakra and a slight drop in the temperature brought a smile to Zabuza's partially covered face.

"Haku is using that already? I would be concerned for your brats, Kakashi. Even I have trouble escaping from that jutsu when she is serious."

Kakashi glanced at the dome of ice mirrors for only a second before pulling a scroll out of his Jonin vest.

"I planned on ending this fight quickly, anyways. Prepare to disappear from this world, Zabuza Momochi! "

Zabuza flared his chakra just a bit as he deepened the density of the mist. The Demon of the Hidden Mist knew well that even the best and most cautious of shinobi often left an opening when going for a killing blow.

That would be his moment to strike and to sever the connection between Kakashi Hatake and the land of the living.

* * *

"P-p-p-please don't kill me."

A battered bleeding thug wept without restraint as he knelt in submission, his opponent had just finished off the other members of his group.

Damn it all to hell!

This was supposed to be easy!

The shinobi were supposed to be fighting Zabuza on the bridge, not protecting this dusty, poverty stricken town!

The teenage boy standing in front of him was a monster, just like Zabuza and just like every other freak of nature out there!

His body trembled as his attacker drew closer, he was too tired and too injured to run, he would never admit to himself that there was one other influence that held him in this one spot.

He was terrified.

The boy's voice came out cold and unremorseful.

"Would you have granted mercy to these people? To this town? To the few things they had left? Would you have spared them if they had begged you?"

The wounded man gulped as he cast his gaze to the ground. The shinobi nodded.

"I thought so."

A punch to the temple was enough to send the thug into the sweet embrace of unconsciousness as he fell on his face.

"Oh my Shino-kun, you're already finished with this lowlife trash? Seems I rushed over here for naught. "

Shino nodded as he turned to face Sai.

"You also seem to be unharmed."

The pale skinned teenager once again displayed his cheesiest plastic smile.

"They were neutralized quite easily."

Shino nodded again as several of his kikaichu swooped down from above and landed on his shoulders. The Aburame stood silently for a few as his trained insects buzzed in tandem. Sai had easily concluded that they had been sent out on reconnaissance. Shino would confirm this with his statements.

"We've dealt with all the bandit groups in and around the village including the smaller second wave of mercenaries."

Sai responded.

"We should return to Kakashi-sensei and the others to provide assistance."

Another cloud of kikaichu slowly crept out of Shino's sleeves and started to spread themselves over the unconscious bandits.

"I've been injecting the bandits with some of my kikaichu's naturally made poison; it should keep them weakened and unconscious for some time. Would you like the same precaution to be taken with those you have defeated? "

Sai delivered another smile as he unsealed a flying ink beast from his scroll.

"No need to Shino-kun. I _neutralized_ them. "

Shino paused for a few more seconds before climbing on to the back of Sai's ink construct. He would be far more cautious around Sai from now on.

Of all the smiles Sai had ever offered to him, that last one seemed the most genuine.

* * *

"You gonna keep looking at me like that all day or what?"

Sakura blinked in surprise as Kiba's words registered within her mental faculties.

The trio of herself, Kiba and Akamaru were currently en route to the bridge where their comrades were supposedly locked in battle with a murder happy missing nin and his mysterious ally and even though that should have been at the fore front of her mind, she couldn't help but think about the events that had transpired just a few minutes ago.

The explosion of smoke that had startled her and the two bandits sent for Tazuna's family had been Kiba cancelling _his own_ Tsunami. The Inuzuka male had woken up some time before the arrival of the bandits and had managed to stash Tsunami and Inari in the basement before using the Henge to become Tsunami.

The idea was very clever in her opinion, the bandits would lead Kiba back to their hideout and see Gato and he would be able to confront the corrupt billionaire there and then. His plan only failed thanks to her interference with her own "posing as Zabuza" idea.

Once the bandits figured out that she was a fake, Kiba used the opportunity to catch the two off guard and...

And he...

He ripped their throats out.

Literally.

She could still remember the struggling gasps of the sword wielders as they fell to their knees clutching their bloodied necks as their life-force drained from their eyes. She shook her head to shuffle the memory away but even know as she looked at Kiba's claws she could see a slight red taint.

"It was your first time seeing someone die?"

Sakura's eyes met Kiba's and in an instant and the Inuzuka knew the answer.

"I see. Sorry that your first time had to be so gruesome. "

Sakura mumbled.

"No I understand. Those two were ready to kill me as well. I would have probably died out there if it wasn't for you, so thank you Kiba. "

Kiba nodded.

"They'll probably be a lot more death up ahead, Sakura... Are ya sure you wanna be there?"

Sakura took a deep breath

"We are shinobi of Konoha. Our allies and my employer are counting on us. I can throw up on my dress later. "

Kiba smirked.

* * *

Sasuke was slowly becoming a pin cushion even with the recent awakening of his own Sharingan; he still found it increasingly difficult to evade Haku's attacks. The ice user was relentless and Sasuke was beginning to realize that he might have bitten off more than he could chew but he was nowhere ready to give up.

How would he ever grow to become better than Itachi if he died here?

Just the thought of one day facing down his brother was enough to keep Sasuke up on his feet ,weaving around some of Haku's attacks still trying to find a way to counter or. escape.

Hinata watched patiently, waiting for Haku to leave an opening bug enough for her to capitalize and try to help him but for now she would have to wait and hope , as much as she wanted to help Sasuke, running in blindly wouldn't help either of them especially if that left Tazuna unguarded.

Haku's voice echoed outside the dome.

"Your teammate is heavily injured and is losing blood, ir you handover the bridge builder, I'll allow you to treat him and escape. Please understand that you are no match for me. "

Hinata ignored the masked mercenary and spoke to Sasuke.

"Stay on your feet, Sasuke! You'll be out of there soon! "

Sasuke's reply came out a little forced; Hinata could feel the physical exhaustion in the Uchihas words.

"Don't...let him fool you... Hinata; these things ...are barely hitting me-AGHH."

Hinata grimaced as Haku's voice rang out again.

"Perhaps I need to prove to your teammate that your life is truly in danger."

Several more of Sasuke's screams could be heard as Haku's onslaught continued. Hinata stated silent as she focused her Byakugan on the dome.

"Hang in there Sasuke!"

There was no answer this time but Hinata could see that Sasuke was still alive but his movement and breathing were labored.

She would have to put an end to this soon, but how?

Her eyes widened just a bit when she felt a small sensation on her left index finger and she clenched her fists twice and nodded.

Perhaps things were about to turn around…

* * *

Zabuza's eyes narrowed as he watched Kakashi twirl an opened scroll over his head. Was this also a part of the technique or was that damn Copycat baiting him?

Zabuza was no expert at Fuinjutsu so it was incredibly difficult to identify the use of such a scroll while trying to stay hidden in the mist. It was still in best interest to not attack until he was sure he had an opening, the great possibility still remained that Kakashi needed to at least have an idea of where Zabuza was before using that scroll.

Zabuza's muscles tensed as Kakashi sped through several hand signs before slamming the scroll on to the bridge.

 **"Earth Style: Fanged Pursuit Jutsu!"**

A small tremor rocked the bridge as several ninken exploded out of the ground around Zabuza and pinned him place with their fangs. The swordsman grunted in shock and pain as several tiny streams of blood ran down to the bridge's surface.

"But how? The mist. . . should have been too thick. . . for you to see me. "

"You're right. The mist was too thick for me to spot you. But it didn't prevent my dogs from following the scent of my blood. "

Zabuza groaned in annoyance and great discomfort as he understood the implications of Kakashi's statement. His cleaver had caught Kakashi on several occasions and even though they were small cuts, there was enough blood oj the blade to make it traceable. He had only playing into Kakashi's hands this entire time.

Zabuza growled.

"You damn monkey, who did you copy this technique from?"

Kakashi smirked as he drew closer to his opponent.

"Don't be like that Zabuza, you sound like a very sore loser, but since this is the last time we're seeing each other. . . "

Zabuza's eyes widened as he could literally see Kakashi's chakra crackling all around his body.

"...Allow me to show you a technique that I created myself."

* * *

Haku frowned as she felt her mirrors beginning to slowly weaken, one of the few drawbacks to her technique was that it was a constant drain on her chakra to hold it in place, it was normally easier to sustain it in cooler climates like the Land of Waves but she assumed she had pushed herself a little too much fighting the proud Uchiha. If this continued for too long she would be fresh out of chakra in less than an hour.

That would be unacceptable.

She had to finish this fight now.

"Last chance to surrender Uchiha or my next senbon will go straight through your heart. "

The defiant Uchiha smirked.

"Do your worst."

Haku narrowed her eyes before preparing her attack.

"So be it."

Several volleys of senbon rained down upon Sasuke from different directions, fortunately for him, none would hit their target.

"Eight Trigrams: Thirty-Two Palms Guard!"

A small dome of extremely thin chakra blades surrounded Sasuke easily repelling the thrown senbon.

All of Haku's reflections tilted their heads in amusement.

"So you have finally joined the fight, Hyuuga-san. Was that the wisest decision, leaving the bridge builder unguarded?"

Hinata assumed a defensive position in front of Sasuke, slowly turning her head from side to side to get a better understanding of Haku's technique. She ignored Haku's question completely as she posed one of her own.

"This technique must be a huge drain on your reserves...what did Zabuza call you? Haku? That was it, right? Well let me inform you Haku, my eyes allow me to see many things, and I can tell that your technique is getting weaker. How long do you think you can keep us trapped here? "

Haku grimaced behind her mask as her reflections pulled out more senbon.

"That won't be of any concern of yours since I'm ending this fight right now."

"That's if you can breach my defenses...onee-chan"

Haku did not express her annoyance at her gender being revealed so easily.

"Every technique has a weakness."

Hinata smiled sweetly and Haku felt as if she was missing something very obvious.

"You took the words right out of my mouth."

* * *

 **EIGHT IS FINISHED! HINATA VS HAKU NEXT! PLACE YOUR BETS! Please continue to support the story with REVIEWS, FAVS AND ALERTS. Let everybody know about it if ya like it. All honest opinions and fair criticisms are accepted. I'll try to update more regularly.**

 **Peace and Love.**

 **Kolsake was ere.**


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